


Pathways in Darkness

by Walker98



Series: Revolution of the Soul [3]
Category: The Host - Stephenie Meyer
Genre: Action/Adventure, Alien Invasion, Chicago (City), F/M, Minor Character Death, Romance, Souls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-24
Updated: 2014-09-17
Packaged: 2018-01-13 16:03:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 25
Words: 138,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1232611
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Walker98/pseuds/Walker98
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ian and Wanda lead a dangerous mission to Chicago to learn about the deadly disease and the Humans who found the cure. Meanwhile Marc Walters and his band of rebels try a risky strategy to protect themselves from the Seekers. And in the shadows the creators of the plague prepare to unleash their newest weapon and destroy any chance for peace.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

 

"Everyone," bellowed Kyle, "I've got news!"

His voice echoed around the vast cavern and the small group of men and women who were busy about their chores all collectively jumped. They all turned to look at Kyle, partly in surprise and partly in annoyance. Kyle for his part simply grinned at his effect on his fellow humans. At his side, Sunny trembled slightly at his outburst. The little Soul was growing use to how loud and noisy humans could be and living around Kyle gave her plenty of experience. Kyle O' Shea was a hard man to ignore.

Lilly, who was on her way to the underground stream carrying a basket of dirty clothes to washed, was the first to make it over to them. Concern was very apparent on her face, "Kyle, what's wrong? You're back two days early. " She looked over to Sunny, who Kyle held protectively, "Sunny, did you have problems on the raid?"

Kyle smiled down at Sunny and said in a much more gentle voice, "No, Sunny did great. Didn't you honey?"

Sunny blushed at Kyle's compliment and nodded. She looked back to Lilly and said in a quiet voice, "No, the raid went well. But something has happened."

"What happened?" asked Lilly, still looking with concern at Sunny and Kyle. Raids into cities were dangerous affairs for the humans in their community. After several raids with Wanda, this was Sunny's first raid on her own. A quick one-week trip to Tucson. A trial run, as Jeb put it, for Sunny to prove herself.

Trudy was the next to arrive and worry was also clear on her face, "Kyle, where are Andy and Brandt? Sunny says something happened?"

"Andy and Brandt are putting the jeep away," answered Kyle. He gently let go of Sunny and held up both his large hands, palms outwards as he pleaded, "Look, we should wait till Jeb, Jared…well hell, everyone gets here. Something big has happened in Chicago."

News traveled fast in the caves, and today was no exception. In a short time, nearly all the humans in the underground community had heard Kyle was back and with important news. Melanie and Jared showed up next, followed by Doc and Candy. Soon the curious and the concerned surrounded Kyle and Sunny.

Sunny, still nervous by large groups of humans, clung to Kyle's side. She relaxed a bit when she caught sight of a small woman with long flowing blond hair followed by a tall dark-haired man. Wanda and Ian were the last to arrive. They had worked in the fields today, both tired and dirty. Wanda smiled to reassure her fellow Soul and asked her, "Sunlight Passing Through the Ice, are you okay?"

Sunny attempted a small smile of her own but couldn't quite manage it. "Wanderer, I am fine, but…" she trailed off for a moment and then said barely above a whisper, "…there have been deaths."

Wanda's eyes went wide and the other humans promptly began to talk among themselves. This quickly escalated into a loud tumult of arguing, questioning, and discussion all centered at Kyle and Sunny. It was Jeb who put an end to it. "Alright, everyone shut up!" said the old man loudly. The group fell silent at once. He then addressed Kyle, "Well Kyle, you got us all down here. Now start explaining…"

Kyle straightened and began to explain, "So it's like this. Three days ago we were in Tucson, at a hardware store." He glanced to his side at Sunny, "Sunny was doing great. She was picking up the supplies without a problem. We are getting ready to leave when we see them - Seekers."

"Were they looking for you?" asked Jared sharply.

Kyle held up his right hand as if to ward off Jared's question, "No, not for us. They were booking it over to the airport. A bunch of them. I talked it over with Andy and Brandt and we figure we should at least try to see what they are up to. So we follow them at a distance, we find the Seekers are sealing off the entire airport."

"Why?" asked Ian.

"I'm getting to it, give me a sec," said Kyle in an annoyed voice to his younger brother. "So we figure for the time being we would lay low and see if we could find out what was going on. Sunny got us a room at a motel and we start listening to the news. Doesn't take too long before we hear what all the fuss is about. Chicago itself is under quarantine, some type of plague has infected all the Souls in the city."

Kyle paused a moment and there was a murmur of voices in reaction to his news. Doc was speaking to Candy and then asked, "But the Soul Healers, why couldn't they cure it?"

"That's just the thing, Doc, they were trying but their medicine wasn't working. The news program on TV didn't give a lot of details, but apparently this disease could somehow hide itself from Soul medicine. They couldn't stop it."

This brought a renewed chorus of voices as the humans talked over Kyle's news. Doc and Jeb asked for more details on the illness, but Kyle could only shake his head, he had no explanation to give. Wanda came up to Sunny and took the Souls hands in hers and asked her gently, "Sunny, you said there were deaths?"

Sunny nodded sadly and said in a low whisper, "Yes, the illness didn't just affect the human body; it effected the Soul body as well. The reporter on TV was crying as he read the reports of the deaths." The memory caused Sunny to start to cry softly. Wanda pulled her into a hug. Kyle saw Sunny's distress and stopped talking with the others. He put a large hand on the small woman's back and gently stroked her. His touch had a soothing effect on her and she calmed. Wanda pulled back from Sunny and asked Kyle in an unsteady voice, "How many?"

Kyle responded in a somber tone, "They never gave an exact figure, but hundreds if not thousands were dead." This news caused Wanda to gasp and tremble. Ian put an arm around her in trying to comfort. Even as he held his love, he was deep in thought. Suddenly he spoke up, "The shuttles…the Seekers must have tried to stop the plague from spreading. That's why they sealed off the airport."

His brother nodded in agreement. He stopped caressing Sunny and quietly pulled the little woman next to him. She quickly wrapped herself to him and gave a small sigh of contentment. Kyle addressed the crowd, "Okay hang on here, not done. This is where it gets really interesting." The crowd grew silent and Kyle returned to his story.

"Anyway, so we are the motel for about a day. Andy and I are talking about what we should do next. We are still watching the news and the Soul reporter gets a really weird look on his face, like he just heard something he can't believe." Kyle paused a moment. Then in his best soft and calm voice, mimicking a Soul, he said, "We are receiving some strange reports of wild Humans in the city helping in treating the ill."

A number of people in the crowd asked at the same time, "What?!"

Kyle smiled and shrugged his big shoulders, "That's what they said. Come to find out there is a bunch of humans hiding in Chicago. Not just one or two people, but a whole group. A whole rebel cell of humans, just like us."

Maggie snorted, "It's some type of trick, how could there be that many humans hiding in a city full of…" she stopped herself and looked pointedly at Wanda and Sunny. She left the word parasite unsaid. A few others in the group nodded, Maggie did have a point. She and Sharon had hidden in Chicago for some time, they would know best about other Humans in the city.

"Sorry, the news broadcast didn't have a lot of details. Can't say how exactly they were hiding or how they started helping," explained Kyle. "From what we could make out, the outbreak was causing problems for the humans as well. Somehow they got a truce with the Souls and joined forces to try to cure it." Kyle grinned, "And apparently they did just that, they cured the plague. The Souls regard the humans as heroes who saved them."

Disbelief and amazement were on everyone's faces. Soon nearly everybody was talking, Doc and Candy continued quizzing Kyle and Sunny about how the plague became cured. Wanda and Mel began to talk about their time in the city, about how other humans could hide there. Jeb himself was silent, deep in thought as he stroked his shaggy beard. Then Jared spoke up and voiced what many were thinking, "Are we sure this isn't all some sort of trick, some way to lure us out? The Seekers spreading a story to make us believe we are at peace?"

Jared's question hung there for several silent seconds and then Jeb cleared his throat and spoke up, "Well…I believe we are going to have to find out."

* * *

####

* * *

"Agent Williams I need to ask you a question," said the man behind the desk.

Agent Williams gazed over to the man and frowned ever so slightly. At one time he had known this man's name, but it had been lost to him. In fact, there were many things lost to him now. He knew he had once a name beyond 'Agent Williams,' a family, a home. But those memories only caused him pain and were a distraction. They had no place in him anymore. He excised these thoughts with ease and answered, "Yes, sir. What is your question?"

"What are your thoughts on Chicago?"

Agent Williams considered for a moment, "Well…I know the R&D boys aren't too happy their little bug got cured. They put a lot of time into it. Others figure we got what we needed; no big deal if we 'only' killed ten thousand worms versus fifty thousand worms. I think you can group me in with them, the mission was accomplished."

The man leaned back in his chair and looked thoughtful, "A single death is a tragedy; a million deaths is a statistic. So we kill ten thousand, but it could have gone another way and we would have fifty thousand dead, all pretty much the same to you?"

"Quoting Stalin?" replied Agent Williams, "I would point he was talking about human beings, which is why he gets such labels as monster and tyrant. I'm talking about parasitical worms that invaded and conquered the planet. I'm pretty sure I feel the same way about killing one versus a million of these things."

"Oh and how do you feel about killing the parasites?"

Agent Williams blinked and said with a bit of confusion, "I don't feel anything. Why would I?"

The man behind the desk paused as if we was in deep thought and then continued, "I'm not questioning your commitment to this project. I just needed to know your mind-set on recent developments. A few things go wrong, we don't meet the right projections, and suddenly some people are nervous. Even talk about seeing if the events in Chicago change the parasites' minds about us. Like that would ever happen." He said the last words with complete contempt.

Agent Williams straightened in his chair, "Sir, I'm fully committed to this endeavor. I have since the start." He trailed off for a moment, when had he started on this project? It seems like this had been his life forever.

"Good, good," responded the man eagerly. "That is exactly what I wanted to hear. We are putting together a small group for a mission. Initially, we were planning on New York City, but with some of the events that happened in Chicago, we want to…clean up, so to speak. I'm hoping I can count on you."

Agent Williams bobbed his head, "Yes sir. Say the word I'm ready."

The man behind the desk smiled for a moment but then grew serious, "Agent Adams will be leading the expedition."

Agent Williams blinked in surprise and took a moment as he realized what it would mean. He asked in a subdued voice, "He's ready? I mean we are ready for the next phase?"

The man behind the desk nodded and gave a cold smile, "Yes we are. It's time we kicked this war into gear and let the parasites know what they are actually up against."

 


	2. Gathering

"Seeker Bright Moon on Fallen Snow, why are we doing this?" inquired Seeker Simple Sunlight.

Bright Moon regarded her fellow Seeker. Simple Sunlight, or at least her body, was a tall, willowy woman with auburn colored hair that drifted lazily about her head in the warm breeze. Unlike many Seekers, Simple Sunlight dressed in a white blouse and tan slacks, forgoing the usual black uniform that most Seekers wore. While Simple Sunlight was not the most conventional Seeker, Bright Moon knew she was very enthusiastic about her calling.

Both of them sat in Grant Park on a warm sunny day. Around them, the park was full of Souls; families were on picnics, couples walked hand in hand, and younger Souls ran about playing easy games. It had been one month since the outbreak of a deadly plague had swept through the city and only now the city was really returning to normal. The disease had forced the quarantine of the city while the Souls in the city had raced desperately for a cure. In the end, the cure had come from the most unlikely of source. A group of wild, soulless, Humans that had hidden themselves in the city had found a cure. After finding this cure, these same humans had disappeared and had not been heard from since.

"We are attempting to talk with Marc Walters," explained Bright Moon.

Simple Sunlight frowned slightly, "Not capture?"

"If we bring a team of Seekers to do so, he will not come. Or, worse, he will attempt to play a 'trick' on us. Marc is very skilled at anticipating us. I am trying a different tactic." Bright Moon remembered Marc's many schemes. It had been part of the reason she picked a very open spot in a very public place for their meeting.

"You believe he will read the message you left in the tunnels and come here. How do you know he received it?" questioned her fellow Seeker.

In truth, Bright Moon had no idea if Marc had read the message. For the last month Seekers had been searching in the tunnels that existed bellow Chicago, looking for the rebel humans. So far they had found nothing. Some Seekers were beginning to think the Humans had used the chaos created by the plague to escape the city and they should move their search elsewhere. But Bright Moon had spent time with Marc and his fellow humans during the outbreak. She grown to understand them and didn't believe they would leave the city. "You are correct Simple Sunlight, I do not know if he received my message or if he is coming. But I need to try."

Simple Sunlight regarded her for a minute and then she spoke softly, "You worked with the humans during the outbreak. You understand them…You trust this Marc Walters, don't you?"

Bright Moon considered her words carefully, "You were not here for the outbreak, you didn't experience the desperation and fear it caused. At first I was skeptical that working with the humans would be successful. However, they worked so hard to beat the sickness. But still, so many dead…" She paused as her memories of Calm Waters Below created a pain in her chest.

Surprised when Simple Sunlight took her hand in hers and smiled at her, Bright Moon fought to stay composed. "It is alright Bright Moon. You faced an incredible situation and extraordinary circumstances. It's expected you would be affected by them."

"I've heard what you did from the other Seekers, you are very brave. I do trust your judgment, if you believe contacting Marc Walters is a good idea, then you have my complete support." Simple Sunlight's smile was practically as radiant as the sun.

Bright Moon blushed under Simple Sunlight's praise and couldn't help but smile at her zeal. "Thank you," she said softly.

Simple Sunlight stood up suddenly. "However, we have waited here for nearly two hours. I am going to get something to drink. Do you want anything?"

Bright Moon shook her head with, "No I am fine. Thank you." She watched as Simple Sunlight headed off towards vendors on the other side of the park that offered food and drink. She could be so…flighty…at times. She sat alone for a few minutes and wondered how much longer she should wait to see if Marc Walters showed up. She remembered their last meeting, how she had let him go, shed tears for him. She wondered if she would ever see him again.

As she sat, her mind a tumble of thoughts and feeling about Marc, she saw another Seeker walk up to her. He was tall, balding, and had a neatly trimmed blond beard and wore the regular black Seeker uniform. He was wearing sunglasses, not something Seekers would usually wear, but it was a sunny day. She looked up at him as he stood before her; he was not a Seeker she was familiar with. She was about to ask him his name, when she saw he was grinning at her. She knew that grin…

"Marc?" she asked in astonishment.

"Bri, how the hell do you guys stand wearing this outfit?" said Marc Walters as he gestured to the black uniform he was wearing. "It's uncomfortable, tight, and way too hot." She continued to just stare as he sat down next to her. He slowly took off his sunglasses, looking around to make sure no one nearby was watching them. He smiled slightly as he gazed at her with his soft brown eyes, not a flicker of silver in them.

As she stared at him, she found her voice, "Marc, what are you doing?"

"You guys have my picture up everywhere. On the TV, posters plastered all over the city. Did you really expect me to come as myself?" He rubbed his head softly, "Don't wear a bald cap if you can help it, really itchy." She continued to look at him in amazement. He had completely transformed the way he looked.

She found herself pushing away from him on the small bench they both now shared. Her own training kicking in, keeping her distance from him and preparing herself if he attacked her. He watched her carefully, "Now don't get all jumpy on me. Or try to signal your friend over there." He nodded in the direction Simple Sunlight had traveled. "I'm not here alone and if you are going to try something, I wouldn't recommend it."

She frowned at him, but did make herself relax and stop cringing away from him, "I thought…after everything we had been through, that you would trust me."

Marc sighed, "Well, I am here aren't I? And we're just cautious. Just because I trust you doesn't mean," and he gestured around the park, "this is safe for me."

They sat in silence for a moment and then Marc asked quietly, "How are you Bright Moon on Fallen Snow?"

She considered for a moment and then said softly as she moved a little closer to him, "It has been a difficult time. So much loss…We are still recovering…I am still recovering." She paused, "And you? How have you been?"

"Been very busy…a lot of changes for us. Still trying to make do with what little we got," he replied. "It hasn't been too easy with nearly constant Seeker teams running around in our tunnels. Your message said we needed to meet, so I'm here. What do you want to talk about?"

She straightened and recalled her speech she had been mentally preparing to give to Marc, "Marc, you asked me if I could offer you and your people a future where you wouldn't become a host or be…disposed. I want to convince you that Seekers in the tunnels will not hurt you if you surrender to them. You and your people would be taken into custody – and that is all. No harm will come to them."

Marc sighed and rubbed his fake beard, "Imprisoned by Seekers. Wow that does not sound fun at all."

Bright Moon sighed as well, "I know it would be difficult, but I am asking you to trust me. We will not harm you."

"Your boss sign-off on this little deal? How does glum face feel about granting us peace?"

Bright Moon tried a reassuring smile but faltered slightly, "Seeker Skyward Into the Night doesn't feel this is a good idea. But others have agreed to take you and your kind into custody would be for the best."

"Ah…I see. So what would you do with us once we surrendered?" asked Marc. His sarcasm had faded and he asked with genuine curiosity.

"We would be open to discussing a long-term plan…perhaps relocation?" said Bright Moon but Marc only frowned at the suggestion. He leaned back in thought, "You're asking us to give up a lot – our freedom, our privacy, and the best you're offering is to ship us off to who knows where." With a mix of pride and humor he said, "It's been a month and you aren't even close to finding us."

"Marc…please, eventually we will find you. There are only so many places to hide. I am trying to resolve this as peacefully as I can," pleaded Bright Moon.

He looked at her, his brown eyes examining her carefully, "You really mean it don't you? It means a lot to me that you would try to offer a way out for us. However, I have an alternative idea."

She gave him a puzzled look, "What do you mean?"

He was silent for a long minute and then said slowly, "Put your finger along the back ridge of the Soul, by the anterior antenna. Trace about third of the way down the body to the 217th connection. There is a little ridge, press gently." As he spoke Bright Moon's eyes widen in alarm and she paled.

"You…You know…how to remove…us," she said in a shaky whisper.

"We do," he said gently but firmly.

She sucked in a breath and trembled next him. He watched her slowly try to calm herself. He spoke again keeping his gentle but firm tone, "You guys overplayed your hand at the hospital. You were so worried about us finding it out that you only drew our attention to the process."

"What do you plan to do?" she said icily.

Marc's brown eyes were sad and he pulled himself closer to Bright Moon. The Seeker drew herself away from him, pressing herself against the bench. He spoke softly and calmly, "Please, I don't mean to frighten you. I know what this means to you Souls. You asked me to trust you in coming here, now please trust me."

Slowly Bright Moon relaxed but she still gave Marc a sullen look, "You have our most carefully guarded secret. What will you do with your knowledge?"

"Well ideally - nothing," said Marc quietly.

Bright Moon nearly scowled, "Marc, if this is one of your jokes."

Marc held up his hands imploringly, "Hear me out. Do you know the phrase 'nuclear option'?"

Bright Moon gave him a confused look and then shook her head. Marc continued, "See the nuclear option means a weapon of last resort, something that isn't used unless there are no other options. And that is what this information is to us. Something we use when we have no other option."

"What do you mean? Will you attack us with what you have learned?" asked the Seeker, anger in her voice.

Marc shook his head, "No, its leverage. If the Seekers try to come after us we will use what we know, but if you guys back off we are happy to keep your secret to ourselves."

Bright Moon closed her eyes and shook her head as if to force what she heard from her head. She opened them and gave Marc an agonized look, "Marc, we can't let you know this…It's too dangerous to us. We'll be forced…" She broke off, not wanting to speak the threat out loud.

"When we were snooping around your computer network we came across some interesting files." Bright Moon looked at Marc sharply, "' _Known and Suspected Human Resistance Locations'_ , made for an interesting read, more of us out there than I would have believed," said Marc as he looked up into the sky, his eyes distant. "Now it's not like we can just email them, but we've thought up some ways to get the message out if something happens to us."

Bright Moon began to realize the scope of Marc's plans and shuddered, "You would release it to other Humans?"

"Not if I have a choice in the matter. But force my hand, continue to hunt us, try to take us in, and I will." Marc continued to watch Bright Moon and said quietly, "I'm sorry that we are doing this, but this is the only way I could see to protect us."

She was silent for a while as she thought on Marc's words. Marc just waited patiently. Finally, she asked, "Why? You have our greatest vulnerability, why do you hold it back? You could use it against us; possibly even take back your world."

He nodded slowly and said, "Believe me it did occur to us. But I see what would happen if we opened this particular Pandora's Box – War, outright and unrelenting. You Souls would have to do everything in your power to crush us and any other group that learned the secret, you would have no other choice. And of course we would have to use what we know to its fullest application, we would have no other choice."

Marc paused and smiled sadly, "I'm tired of fighting, running, and hiding. I want real negotiations for peace, not just some deal with the Seekers that we have to give up everything to just continue breathing. I want to meet with the Quorum and anyone other Soul that makes decisions around here."

"You ask much of us," said Bright Moon unhappily, but without her earlier anger.

Marc smiled wistfully, "I know, but you ask much of us as well." He looked out to the field and saw Bright Moon's fellow Seeker returning. He got up and grinned down at her as he put on his sunglasses again, "See ya around Bri."

He walked off and within moments he was among the crowds of people who had no idea he was a human. She tracked him but soon lost him among two large groups of Souls. She could only shake her head in disbelief at what had happened.

Simple Sunlight returned to the bench and blinked at Bright Moon displeased face, "What did I miss?"

* * *

####

* * *

"Wanderer, it is good to see you again," said the tall man gently to the blond-haired Soul. Behind him, Nate craned his neck to see around his friend in the narrow passageway, "Yeah, we are all happy to see everyone, but Burns this stuff is getting heavy."

Burns Living Flowers grimaced and slid out-of-the-way in the tunnel and into the larger opening of the main cavern. This allowed Nate, Jared, and a large package they both carried in as well where they promptly set their load down. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get in the way," said Burns apologetically.

Nate smiled back at Burns, "No worries, Burns. I'm just happy to not be carrying this while my eyes are covered." He looked up at the assembled group before him and smiled, "So how is everyone doing?"

'Everyone' was made up of Jeb, Wanda, Ian, and Mel. Security of the caves was always paramount and Jared had met the two in the desert and guided them the remaining way blindfolded. In quick order, they all greeted the two newcomers warmly. Jared and Ian picked up the large box, allowing Nate to talk with Jeb as they carried it with them as the combined group moved deeper into the caves.

Ian read the top of the box out loud, "Solar Powered HAM Radio, nice but are we sure we can use this without giving away our home?"

Nate answered from the back of the small group as they proceeded down a dark tunnel, "Rob and Max have been working on a system between our two locations that sound like static to everyone else. Of course, no system is completely secure, so we figure we'll use it only in urgent situations."

Ian nodded in agreement, "Good idea and nothing stopping us from using it for listening either. It pays to know what is going on in the outside world."

As Jared maneuvered the box around a tight turn, he grumbled, "Not much to listen to thought, all the music sounds like something you hear in an elevator or dentist office." He glanced up to Burns, "No offense."

The tall Soul shook his head, "None taken. I know our music isn't of much interest to you Humans. I have listened to music from your Beethoven and Bach. It is beautiful…and powerful. Perhaps in time other Souls will learn to appreciate your music."

"Like Iron Maiden?" said Nate with laughter in his voice. The others looked at him and he explained, "Rob managed to slip a few Death Metal songs in with some of Burns' music. I thought Burns' head was going to explode when he listened to it."

Burns shuddered, "That…noise wasn't music."

This brought laughter from the others and Wanda reached up and padded his arm in sympathy. "I also have to put up with occasional 'practical joke' from my little family of humans, mostly from Kyle."

"Ah yes, that reminds me my dear brother needs of a good beat down," said Ian as he and Jared lowered the box into its resting place in the kitchen. Ian leaned against the table and Wanda came over to him and smiled. "No fighting," she gently admonished him, "And no need. Sunny has gotten good at scolding Kyle. He listens to her."

Ian kissed the top of her head, "Where would us O'Shea boys be without you Love?"

Wanda blushed and hugged Ian close, "Let's hope we never find out."

Jeb cleared his throat and the small group turned to face him, "Nate and Burns, thank you for the radio. Like Ian said I'm hoping this let us keep up with the rest of the world and the few humans still out there. Now to the point, I'm hoping you two have brought us some more news on Chicago."

Nate nodded and spoke up, "We have. Burns has pressed as many contacts as he's got for finding out more details on our mystery group in Chicago. We've made a lot of progress."

"Well, you've got plenty of people here that have been eager to learn just what went down," said Ian. "What can you tell us?"

"We can confirm what Kyle, Andy, Brandt, and Sunny heard last month. Chicago was the site of major pandemic that killed more than ten thousand Souls." Nate paused for a moment as everyone took this information in. Wanda brushed a few tears from her eyes and Ian held her. Even Jared was silently stunned.

"And a human healer, err doctor, actually found a cure? How did he accomplish this?" asked Wanda.

Nate smiled, "Yes a human did come up with the cure and we've been able to find out his name. It's Simon Jansky. He was able to create a primitive form of antibiotic and use it to treat the sick. It wasn't strong enough to cure the illness, but was able to treat the symptoms and hold off the infection. This is what he and the other humans traded with the Souls and formed the basis for their truce."

Now Burns spoke up, "From what I could learn, there appears to have been some type of a previous arrangement between some of the Healers and this group of Humans. I don't have many details, but it seems that the Humans had some allies with the Souls in the city."

Wanda looked thoughtful, "Someone else going native?"

Burns smiled in confirmation, "Or at least becoming a sympathizer. It was through the healers they made the truce and the cure was a joint effort of both Human and Soul Healers."

"Remarkable," said Jeb. "Now how many humans are there?"

"Around thirty, but we know some of them died from the plague as well," answered Nate.

Jeb's eyes shone brightly as his curiosity peaked, "Now how did they manage to hide that many?"

"Underground," said Burns simply. "In Chicago there is an extensive network of tunnels, sewage, and waterways. It forms a massive maze that the Humans had used as both shelter and transportation."

"They live in the sewer?" said Mel as she wrinkled her nose.

"We live in a cave, hon." said Jared, "Beggars can't be choosy."

"From what Burn's heard, they had quite the setup. They had converted several large tunnels into sleeping quarters, kitchen, school, even a pretty decent hospital."

Ian was the first to focus on a keyword that Nate had said, "You said had quite the setup. What happened to them?"

"Before the outbreak, the Seekers were closing in on them. After finding the cure, the humans abandoned their home. It's believed they relocated to another part of the tunnels," explained Burns.

"So is true that these guys are heroes to the Souls?" asked Jared. Wanda, Ian, and the others all nodded in agreement. The thought Souls could change their minds about humans was an appealing idea to many in the caves.

Burns sighed, "It is…complicated. The humans' actions in Chicago have been greatly discussed among the Souls. Some Souls are happy at the news, others are not. So many of us only know to fear the humans that many just don't know what to make of these humans. I have learned that Seekers are now under orders to find and detain these humans…but not to harm them unless absolutely necessary."

"No Soul insertion, not quietly snuffed out?" exclaimed Melanie.

"Correct," confirmed Burns.

Wanda's eyes were large and she regarded her fellow Soul, "Burns, this is remarkable. I don't believe such an action has ever been agreed upon before."

Jeb pulled on his beard, deep in thought. He then looked directly at Wanda. "Wanderer," he said softly, "what do you think will happen next?"

Surprised that he would use her full Soul name, but realizing the significance Wanda consider for several seconds before answering, "Jeb, I don't know. This is so unprecedented. It could mean the Souls reconsider their view on humanity in general. Or they might think these humans are an unusual deviation, and not norm. There is still much we don't know."

Nate now spoke up and said softly, "Burns and I have talked it over. We think we should try to contact the rebel humans in Chicago. Learn more about them, see if we can help. Maybe together we can change how the Souls view all humans."

"That is a pretty tall order," said Jared, "We don't know where they are now. They've must be pretty good at hiding if the Seekers haven't found them yet. But if the Seekers do find these guys first, I don't see them being real friendly to us 'out of town' humans."

"I've spoken with Maggie and Sharon," said Jeb, "and they have no real idea where to find our kind in Chicago. It's doubtful they know much about these tunnels that run under the city."

"What we need," said Mel to Nate and Burns, "is someone who knows these tunnels if we want to have any chance at finding them."

Jeb looked thoughtful, "Well now…we do happen to know someone who would know a great deal about Chicago, the Seekers there, and maybe these tunnels."

Mel frowned at first trying to figure out who her uncle was referring to, but then with a start she realized. At nearly the same time, Wanda also figured it out. Simultaneously both women groaned. "Not her," moaned Mel. Jeb just smiled and said, "Well you did say we needed someone."

Mel looked glumly over to Wanda, who had a similar look on her face, "Come on Sis, let's go talk with Miss Crabby-Pants."

They found Lacey working in the wheat field. Actually Lacey wasn't so much working as pestering Jamie and Brandt as they labored in the field. Lacey complained of her tools being broken and Brandt should trade with her. Jamie saw Melanie and Wanda and smiled happily at his sisters' approach. Brandt gave them a mild pleading look as he tried his best to ignore Lacey. For her part, Lacey barely acknowledged Wanda and Melanie. She nodded to them, and then went back to complaining about the tools they had to work with.

"Wanda, are you and Ian coming to game night tonight?" asked Jamie with a grin.

"Of course Jamie, we wouldn't miss it," said Wanda returning the boy's smile. She then turned to the small woman who was now scowling at her, "Lacey, can Mel and I talk with you for a minute?"

Lacey's face softened slightly as she saw an opportunity to get out of work. She shrugged and the three women walked over to the edge of the field. Lacey eyed them speculatively, "So what is this all about?"

Melanie grimaced but then began to explain, "Lacey, we are talking about trying to contact the rebel humans hiding out in Chicago."

"Why?" said Lacey in an obnoxious tone.

"Because the Souls in the city seem ready to co-exist with the humans to some extent, the Seekers are not trying to harm them," clarified Wanda.

Lacey's face grew cold at Wanda's mention of the Seekers. She was silent for few moments and then said quietly, "So what do you want from me?"

Mel huffed and got to the point, "We want to know when you were a Seeker if you ever hunted these same people in the underground tunnels of Chicago."

Lacey got a very faraway look and then she screwed her face up as if she remembered something unpleasant. She slumped her shoulders and said, "We…I mean she…used to go down there. She didn't like going, but back some time ago there would be humans hiding down there. There are all these old freight tunnels, it's like a maze." Lacey trailed off still remembering her time as an infested human.

"Well, that's good," said Wanda with enthusiasm, "Do you know how to get down to these tunnels?"

Lacey's distant look vanished in a second and she regarded both Melanie and Wanda with disdain, "Oh, you want me to go back there!? Are you out of your mind?"

* * *

####

* * *

Distant Harmony sat in the small office of the warehouse and sipped some lukewarm tea. His host body had a strong desire for the drink and he found that he did enjoy the taste. He turned his attention back to the small TV he was watching. On the screen, a news reporter was interviewing a comforter. They were discussing recent efforts to track down the rebel humans that helped during the recent plague.

"Many of asked why the Humans would be willing to help us, what do you think?" asked the reporter on TV.

The comforter, a tall white-haired man, leaned back in his chair and contemplated his answer, "Well I think they had many reasons for what they did. As you know, the disease affected them as well. Their motivation was to help themselves. I believe helping us was mostly a means to an end."

"But there are some of us who saw the Humans helping, said they truly cared for the sick, either Soul or Human," responded the reporter.

The comforter made a small frown, "Perhaps…They did care. It's hard to fathom their thinking process."

Distant Harmony turned away from the TV. He didn't agree with the Comforter on TV. When the disease had come, he had taken ill and was very sick. If had not been for the cure from the Humans he would be dead. Even if the humans hadn't intended to save his kind, Distant Harmony was still grateful.

There was a knock at the door and Distant Harmony stood up puzzled, it was late at night and there were no scheduled deliveries for tonight. He opened the door slowly and saw a tall, well-built man with close-cropped dark hair. At the sight of Distant Harmony, the man smiled broadly.

"Oh good, someone is here," said the man gently, "I'm sorry to bother you. But our Van has a flat tire. Is there anyone here who could help?"

"Well, it's just me," explained Distant Harmony. He looked the man over, wondering what we would be doing out at this hour. "I can call a repair truck."

"Oh, I would hate to make someone come out here at this hour," said the man with a sigh. "We got lost on our way to Chicago and now the flat tire. We seem to have no luck." The man smiled again at Distant Harmony and stuck out his hand, "I'm Pale Light Gleaming by the way." He had leaned into the doorway and as Distant Harmony shook the offered hand, he could just make out the glint of silver in the man's eyes.

Distant Harmony felt himself relax and said, "Well Pale Light Gleaming, I'm glad to meet you. I would be happy to help you. Where is your Van?"

"Just over here," said Pale Light as he pointed into the empty parking lot of the warehouse. The two men walked over to the vehicle. As they walked Distant Harmony asked, "What brings you to Chicago?"

"We are here to visit some friends," said Pale Light mildly.

As they approached the van, Distant Harmony grew confused, "Pale Light Gleaming, I do not see a flat tire on your vehicle."

Pale Light Gleaming indicated the rear of the van, "Don't you see, it the far right one." Distant Harmony moved to look when the back doors of the van suddenly opened and a man jumped out. Dressed completely in black, he held something in his right hand that Distant Harmony didn't immediately recognize. It was a long tube-like device with a curved handle at its base. The man raised and pointed it at Distant Harmony.

The word gun made its way into Distant Harmony's mind at nearly the same time a bullet fired from the weapon hit him in the chest. In his surprise, he could only manage a faint 'Huh' sound. In quick succession the man dressed in back fired the gun twice more, both bullets striking Harmony's head. The two rounds destroying both the host brain and the tiny silver being that was Distant Harmony. He fell to the ground, dead before he even hit it.

Agent Williams picked up the dead body quickly and smoothly as Agent Adams put his gun away. The silencer on the gun had reduced the noise of the gunfire to three muffled bangs, but they were taking no chances of someone seeing or hearing. Agent Williams put the body in the van and jumped in closing the doors behind him.

A quick search of Distant Harmony's pockets revealed the keys to the office and the loading dock. He nodded to Agent Gray who was driving the van and he put the van in gear and drove towards the dock at the end of the parking lot.

Agent Adams straightened himself as much as possible in the tightly packed van and addressed his men, "Agent Williams and Agent Anderson, you will take point and make sure no one else is around. The rest of you, let's get unloaded. We've got a lot of work to do."


	3. Agreements

"Wanda," called Ian.

"I'm here," came her reply from the dark cave. There were sounds of splashing and then her movements as she dried herself off. Ian waited patiently at the cave entrance, a single solar lantern the only source of light. Presently Wanda came into view, her still damp long blond hair wrapped in a towel. She wore brand new jeans and t-shirt, recently acquired from Sunny's first raid.

She smiled at Ian but then grew curious as she looked him over. His hands were hidden behind his back and he had a shy smile on his face. She asked, "Ian, what are hiding?"

His small, shy smile grew to a wide grin and he pulled a plate from behind his back. On it was a hunk of bread, honey, a bowl of cereal, and a relatively fresh apple. With a slightly extravagant bowing before her, he laid the tray at her feet and said, "For you, malady."

"Ian, you didn't need to bring all that food down here, I can make my way to the kitchen just fine."

Ian made a face, "Well I was going to bring you breakfast in bed, but you got up before me. This is my fall back plan."

Wanda bent down to pick up the tray of food and replied, "That is sweet of you, but you didn't need to…"

"Can't I spoil you ever so often?" pleaded Ian.

Wanda found herself blushing in the blue light of the lantern. She realized Ian wasn't going to buy her arguments that she didn't deserve such treatment. Ian would from time to time insist on 'spoiling' her. When he did, he wouldn't take no for an answer. And always she found herself with conflicted feelings, a rational side of her not wanting to burden Ian, but her body feeling a rush of joy at his gifts. She sighed and sat down next to him to eat her meal.

He watched her as she ate. She swallowed a piece of bread with honey on it and asked, "And what do I owe this spoiling to?"

"Well, we'll not be getting a home cooked meal for a while. It will be fast food and junk food for who knows how long. Just wanted to make sure you had a nice meal before we left," explained Ian.

"We're not leaving for another day. I still will eat lunch and dinner," countered Wanda and began eating her apple.

Ian over dramatically sighed and leaned back against the rock wall, "But we leave early tomorrow before Lucina would start making bread, again trying to do breakfast in bed."

"Eating in bed is messy and…" she broke off when she looked at Ian's frown, she considered Ian's wish to please her. "This is a human thing right?"

Ian just shook his head in amusement, "Yes Dear, it is. Just go with it."

She finished her meal and gave him a quick kiss. "Alright, I will 'go with it.' Thank you my Ian."

"Of course Love," smiled Ian as he helped her up. They carried the now empty plate back to the kitchen, holding hands all the way. They made small talk as they went, just enjoying their time together.

They left the kitchen, Ian told Wanda, "Candy was able to talk some sense into Lacey, so she's going." He watched as Wanda tried to hide a grimace. He squeezed her hand gently, "I know, she's a pain, but she's the only one we've got that even remotely knows about the tunnels under Chicago."

Wanda sighed, "I know… I'm just not looking forward to riding with her all the way to Chicago."

"That makes two of us," said Ian. He paused a moment, "I wonder if Doc has some spare SLEEP we could use on her."

"Ian!" exclaimed Wanda, "We can't do that to Lacey." She paused and considered, "Well we could, but we shouldn't…it wouldn't be nice."

Ian's shoulders shook from laughter, "I'll remind you of this conversation after we've spent a day in the van with her."

As they neared the tunnel that held the bedrooms for their little community, Wanda and Ian both saw Kyle and Sunny standing at the entrance of the tunnel. Both of them looked concerned.

Ian asked his brother, "What's going on?"

"World War III," grumbled Kyle and he nodded towards the sleeping chambers. From there, Ian could hear the distinct sounds of an argument. Sunny had a pained look on her small face as she looked over to Wanda and spoke in an upset whisper, "They are fighting."

"Who?" asked Wanda in alarm.

"Mel and Jared," answered Kyle. Now that Ian was listening he could defiantly makeout both Melanie's and Jared's voices. Jared's was angry and harsh, but Melanie's was full of defiance and no small amount of her own anger. Ian could only make out parts of the fight, when their voices rose to shouts:

_"No way in hell, Mel."_

_"You don't own me Howe…"_

_"…If you think you can just go."_

_"Jared, please…"_

Wanda started off down the tunnel. Wanda's wish to come to her 'sister's' aide and for peace and harmony among her human family drove her to intercede. Ian caught up to her quickly and held her arm, preventing her from going further. She looked up at him, startled, "Ian, I need to talk to them."

Ian sighed, "This is something Mel and Jared are going to have to work out for themselves. It will be alright."

Wanda knitted her thin blond eyebrows together in confusion and then mild irritation, "What do you mean? How do you know what they are fighting about?"

"Mel doesn't want Jared to go with us to Chicago. She wants him to stay while she goes with us," replied Ian. He watched as Wanda's eye widened in surprise. He continued, "As you can guess, given what happened last time, Jared isn't too happy about the idea."

Wanda was quiet after his last statement. He watched her and could see she was replaying her own memory of the events leading to Melanie's capture in Chicago and Wanda's subsequent insertion. She looked down at the ground and then back up to Ian, "But why? Why does she want Jared to stay behind?"

Ian was about to answer when the sounds of the argument suddenly died off. The sudden calm left him wondering what had happened. Wanda tilted her head listening, but the silence stretched on. Ian was about to return to answering Wanda's original question when they all heard it - A low soft moan. Which was clearly from Melanie and then a groan, nearly a growl, which came from Jared.

Kyle raised an eyebrow and then smirked, "Mel does not fight fair."

Ian shook his head deliberately, trying to force out what he was hearing, "No, she does not."

It took a moment for Wanda to catch on. When she did, her skin went a bright red. She looked to Ian, "Umm perhaps we…should go?"

It was innocent Sunny who still hadn't figured out what was happening. She looked to Kyle still worried about the previous argument. "Kyle?" she asked hesitantly. The big man took her small hand in his and smiled, "Sunny, Mel and Jared will be just fine. I've got mirror cleaning duty today, you going to hold the ladder for me?" The little woman smiled happily at the news and followed after Kyle as he left. As they left down the tunnel to the fields, both Wanda and Ian could hear Sunny's voice, "Now you be careful on the ladder…"

"Let's go to our own room, okay?" asked Ian. Wanda merely nodded and they made their way to their room quickly, not wanting to disturb or listen in on Melanie and Jared. Wanda entered and went to sit down on their bed while Ian closed the door to their bedroom. The door was an old metal door. Ian wished, not the first time, they had something a bit more substantial.

He turned to see Wanda gazing intently on him. Her silver-rimmed eyes were penetrating. Wanda's body was young and innocent, but when she needed to, Wanderer the Soul could be the exact opposite with just a look. Ian found himself being regarded by the centuries-old being who was the love of his life. She said quietly, "I sense a conspiracy here."

Ian sat down next to Wanda and sighed. Wanda was still a terrible liar, but she was getting good at sensing a lie. And Ian would never want to lie to her anyway. Around her, he became just as bad of a liar as she. He smiled softly, "Okay…yeah Mel and I talked about this a couple of days ago. She didn't want Jared going…well that's not it. She wants him to go, but knows he needs to stay."

"But why should Jared stay?" asked Wanda confused.

"A lot of reasons," said Ian, "We don't know how long we will be gone. With you, me and Mel gone, supplies are going to fall to just Sunny and Kyle. That's not going to work long-term. People here will need Jared."

Wanda weighed his arguments and did see his point. Ian continued and he only needed one word, "Jamie." Wanda stiffened at the boy's name. "Mel is genuinely torn about leaving the kid. She nearly considered staying behind and just sending Jared. But the fact is she knows Chicago better than he does." Ian put his arm around Wanda and drew her close. She put her head on his shoulder and they sat in peaceful silence for several minutes.

Ian said in a near whisper, "This is so much more dangerous than a raid for supplies. We are going in with so many unknowns. If…If we don't make it." Ian trailed off. Wanda pulled herself closer to Ian. She looked up at him and said softly, "Perhaps you shouldn't go."

"Not a chance," replied Ian gruffly.

Wanda pulled herself up and then to Ian's surprise pushed herself into his lap. She twisted against him and wound her arms around him. Then let her hands run through his hair gently. He looked at her, faintly shocked at her behavior. She was turning a shade of pink but manage to control herself, "I know a few things from Mel's memories."

"I am not Jared Howe. You will not be seducing me into not going with you Wanderer," declared Ian.

Wanda said demurely as she kissed him and he pulled her closer, "My Ian, will you not let me at least try?"

* * *

####

* * *

"I look ridiculous," said Kate as she straightened her dress for the tenth time.

Scott worked on fixing his tie and glanced over to Kate and the simple blue dress she wore, "You look good." They were working with just one flash light and doing their very best not to dirty their clothes. Not an easy task in the old freight tunnel. Nearly a century old, the tunnel hadn't been cleaned in decades. Dust and debris were everywhere.

Eric, who was holding the light, panned it over Kate and agreed with a bit of a leer, "You are looking more than good."

Kate glowered, "Geek boy, do not start with me today."

Eric's face fell and he said defensively, "Wasn't trying to…" Kate relented and said apologetically, "Dresses and I just don't mix and I don't feel comfortable wearing this one."

"Where did you get that dress?" asked Scott.

"It was Mary-Margret's. There wasn't anything else that fit me," said Kate sadly. At this, both Eric and Scott grew still and silent. Eric said softly, "Sorry Kate. I didn't know." Kate shrugged and went back to toying with her dress.

Down the tunnel Marc and Dell stood in another small circle of light discussing their plans. Two days earlier these tunnels were teaming with Seekers. Traveling in these tunnels at that time was perilous, but now they were empty. Marc's conversation with Seeker Bright Moon on Fallen Snow had the desired effect. The Seekers had withdrawn and now maintained a patrol at the entrances to the tunnels - at least the ones they knew about.

Dell and Marc walked back to the others. Marc, like Scott and Kate, was neatly dressed and had shaved and combed out his chaotic mess of spiky hair. Dell regarded the three of them and slowly shook his head. "Well, I think we are nuts for doing this, but that's never stopped us before."

Marc shrugged, "Only we crazy ones are left, my friend. You ready?"

"Are you?" asked Dell dryly. Marc looked between Kate and Scott, both of them giving him nervous smiles. He glanced back at Dell, "As ready as we're going to be." Marc looked at his watch, "Okay, we've got a schedule to keep," he looked up at the others, "and we are keeping it. No variations, got it?"

"Should we all synchronize our watches or something?" asked Eric with just a bit of humor. Kate gave an exasperated sigh and Scott rolled his eyes. Marc shook his head, "No need, either the Souls play fair or they don't. Eric, you're the dead man switch. When we go up, you get yourself hidden where I won't have the faintest clue where you've gone."

"I know, I know," said Eric, "We've only run through this plan a dozen times."

"Well practice makes perfect," said Scott as he, Marc, and Kate began to climb up the ladder to the sub-basement above. Dell watched them go and called after them, "Remember twenty minutes, if I don't see you and a definite look at each of your faces, I'm calling it."

As they climbed, Marc grumbled, "We all know our parts, the only question is the Seekers." After the Seekers had pulled back, he found another communication from Bright Moon on Fallen Snow in the tunnels. It informed him a meeting with the Souls' Quorum was granted. The message included a time, a place, and a request of whom to bring to the meeting. Not for the first time he wondered why he was willing to believe Bright Moon. She was a Seeker, and up until a month ago they had been bitter enemies, but now…Now every time he thought about the blond-haired Seeker it brought up a confusing mess of feelings. Certainly made no sense to trust her, but he did.

Kate interrupted his thoughts as they made their way into the sub-basement, "I really wish I knew why they wanted me in this meeting."

"I don't know, their message asked for you by name," responded Marc, "right now I'm trying to play nice. So here you are."

"Maybe something to do with your time in the hospital during the plague. You did work with several of their Healers," suggested Scott.

"If that's true then why didn't they want Simon?" asked Kate. "He came up with the cure, I just played nursemaid to a bunch of sick Souls."

"We'll find out soon enough," said Marc. He looked to what should have been a sealed doorway to the building above, but it now stood open and clear. "Looks like we're expected," he said trying to keep any nervousness out of his voice.

Scott looked around in the dimly lit basement. He pointed over to a corner, "That's new." He was pointing at a newly installed security camera pointed directly at the three humans. Marc sighed and resisted the urge to wave to the camera. No doubt the camera had caught their arrival and was alerting the Seekers to their presence.

They made their way through the doorway and found themselves in a small elevator alcove. No one was in sight as they peer cautiously back and forth in the small area. There was a soft ding and Kate jumped, she took a deep breath and calmed herself. They turned back to the elevators and saw one of the doors open and an empty cab appeared.

"Well, that's ominous," Scott managed to say in as a mild of a voice as possible.

They all stared at the empty elevator for a moment and then Marc shook himself. "We are on a schedule," he said, "let's go." He crossed the threshold and Kate and Scott followed him in. The doors closed after they were inside. A quick look around showed Marc the elevator's control panel was modified so there was no way to change where the elevator stopped or open the doors early. They felt the elevator rise and the number lights on the right side showed they were traveling to the twenty-fourth floor. He felt his palms growing sweaty, too late to back out now…

They rode up in silence, each one trying not express fear to the other. Quite simply they were walking into the lair of their enemy. They were in a building which at one time had been called theWit, a fancy hotel in downtown Chicago. When the Souls took over the city, they left a great deal of the infrastructures intact. But some buildings changed and theWit was one of them. Now it functioned as the administrative hub for the entire region. It made sense that the Quorum would meet here, but what other purposes the building served were a mystery to Marc and the other humans.

Another soft ding and the elevator stopped and the doors slowly opened. Marc blew out a breath and smiled bravely to Kate and Scott. "Well…Let's go make history," and stepped off the elevator. Kate and Scott followed after him only to ground to a halt right outside the elevator's door as they took in the sight of the Seekers in the hallway. There were easily two dozens of the black dressed Souls in the small lobby, all staring at the Humans.

Through clenched teeth, Marc said in a harsh whisper to his companions, "Okay, everyone just relax and smile."

"Marc," said a gentle voice from the crowd of Seekers and he could see Bright Moon in among the mass of Seekers, "Would you come this way?" She indicated a spot down the hallway, on the other side of the wall of Seekers

Marc stopped short and gave the row of Seekers a quizzical look, "Really need all of you here, just for the three of us?"

Bright Moon tilted her head and said casually, "Safety in numbers, is that not the saying? We are more comfortable when we are together, for greater security."

"Whose security?" asked Scott with a frown.

"Everyone's," said one of the Seekers. A dark-skinned man who returned Marc's quizzical look. "Well thanks," said Marc unable to keep the sarcasm from his voice. Marc noticed all the Seekers were armed. He tried not to shudder as he passed through the Seekers to where Bright Moon stood. She looked at him and could see how nervous he was. She said quietly, "I told you we wouldn't hurt you. Even after your…threat to us, we won't harm you."

"Well, the welcome wagon could use some improvements. You're doing an excellent job of giving us the willies. So what's the protocol here? How does this work?" questioned Marc.

For a moment Seeker Bright Moon look disconcerted but quickly recovered, "You will meet with Seeker Skyward Into the Night." She pointed to a closed door.

Marc tried to keep his voice even. He didn't do a very good job, "What? You said we would be meeting with the Quorum."

"You will," she reassured him, "but Skyward wishes to talk to you first." She glanced at Kate and Scott and added, "Alone." He looked at her sharply, not liking how this was going one bit. Bright Moon said nothing, but he could see the plea in her eyes. He wondered if she wanted to say more, but couldn't with the other Seekers around. He relented, "Alright, let's get this over."

Bright Moon smiled slightly and walked towards the door. Kate spoke up as she and Scott glanced anxiously at the other Seekers, "Umm, what are we supposed to do?"

The Seeker gave Kate a confused look, "You will wait here until Marc and Skyward finish talking."

"With the Seekers?" challenged Kate dubiously.

Marc smiled to reassure his friends. "Kate, you can tell the Seekers about the time when you were turning sixteen and got drunk…" He got no further as Kate's mouth feel open and she turned a bright shade of red in a mix of embarrassment and anger.

"Not on your life, Walters!" snarled Kate.

Several of the Seekers looked in alarm at the angry Latino woman. Bright Moon gave Marc a mildly irritated looked and asked, "Why did you do that?"

Marc watched as Scott tried to calm Kate down, "She'll be so angry with me, she won't have time to worry about you guys." The Seeker just sighed and shook her head at him. Still smiling, Marc opened the door and went through.

After the door had closed behind him, Marc's smile vanished. The room had a large rectangle shaped conference table and a number of large chairs around the table. Everything was immaculate and clean, to the point of being sterile. Windows looking out over the city filled one wall of the room. The room was empty except for a short man with thin, graying hair. He was looking out over the city, hands clasped behind his back.

As Marc approached Skyward Into the Night turned and looked at him. Skyward's face always seemed stuck in a perpetual frown and it didn't improve when he saw Marc. He looked him over, his eyes a greenish blue with a bright ring of silver in them. His gaze was not angry but simply cold as he watched the human. He turned back to looking out over the city. Marc came up beside him and looked out over the city. They stood in an uncomfortable silence for a while. Finally, Skyward said, "Mr. Walters."

"Seeker Skyward," said Marc evenly, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Skyward turned from the window, his frown already deepening, "There is no pleasure here. I would speak with you before we meet with the Quorum."

Marc said nothing, waiting for the Seeker to continue. "I was right about you," said Skyward, "At the hospital, I knew you were a danger. But Crystal Spires would not listen. You and your healer Simon fooled her."

"Yeah, we finding a cure for a plague that was killing thousands. We are such bastards."

Skyward ignored Marc's sarcasm, "And she paid for that trust, she lost her body to you. Her host body recovered, didn't it?"

"Yes. Annie, recovered," responded Marc tightly.

"It was through her you learned the process to remove our Soul bodies, isn't it?"

Marc shrugged, "From her and other sources. We were already piecing it together from the hospital and other places." Marc considered, "Don't let Crystal Spires feel guilty, we would have learned how to do it with or without Annie."

A very faint smile spread across Skyward's lips, "Crystal Spires will not feel much of anything for a long while. She has left the planet."

"What?" asked Marc sharply.

"We determined her skills would be best used on the Dolphin world. She was placed in a cryotank and shipped off Earth two weeks ago. By now she is in deep space," explained Skyward with a touch of smugness.

Marc glared at Skyward fighting to keep his anger in check. He could see what the Seeker was trying to do. Get him angry, get him shouting, and even possibly goad Marc into attacking him. No wonder he was meeting Marc alone. All so he could prove Humans couldn't be trusted to be negotiated with. He swallowed his anger and said to the Seeker, "Thirty."

Skyward's deep frown became a bit confused, "What?"

"Thirty Humans, Skyward, that's all I'm asking for. That's all of us in this entire city. In a city of more than three million Souls. We lived here hidden for years before Bright Moon got on our case. In all that time, buildings didn't fall, Lake Michigan didn't boil, and the Sun didn't explode." Marc explained to the Seeker as he walked around the conference table.

Skyward glowered at him, "Your point?"

"That we are not a threat. We can live together, Humans and Souls and the world will not end. God knows it won't be easy for either side." Marc paused for a moment, "What we've lost…Can't even begin to really fathom it, but we'll just have to accept it. Live with it."

"Can you? Live with your losses?" asked Skyward. Some of the coldness in his voice had softened.

Marc looked the Seeker in eye and said, "Every day I live with it. Every day we live with it. We endure it. Could you say the same if we reversed the situation? Thirty Souls and millions of Humans."

Skyward Into the Night was silent for long seconds, holding Marc's gaze. Finally, he sighed and said, "We will meet with the Quorum now." Marc wasn't sure if he'd given up trying to antagonize Marc into a fight or was simply waiting for a better opportunity.

"Actually," said Marc glancing at his watch, "Kate, Scott, and I need to get the twenty-seventh-floor outdoor observation deck. Right away."

Skyward blinked in confusion, "Human, what are you talking about?"

"See, I don't trust you. I know the feeling is mutual," said Marc with a half-smile. "I made arrangements that if we don't show up after twenty minutes out in the open – all nice, normal, and Human – we would start a little transmission about certain removal techniques."

Skyward glared at Marc, his words coming out through clenched teeth, "You do this and you want us to make peace with you!?"

Marc shrugged, feeling himself relax for the first time since he got off the elevator, "Right now, I expect you to get us to the twenty-seventh floor…We'll figure the rest out afterwards."

* * *

####

* * *

Dell's eyes itched, he hated wearing the contacts. But now he would take the eye irritation in stride. He really had no choice; the contacts gave his eyes a fake reflection of silver. He moved along in the tour group, surrounded by Souls. Everyone was very quietly talking among themselves and would listen intently when the tour guide, a middle-aged woman with raven black hair, spoke about the building they were currently touring.

He glanced down at his watch, wishing for the hundredth time Souls had some sense of urgency. They were nearly at the top floor and he needed to be on time. He hoped everything was going alright with Marc, Scott, and Kate. They were all taking a huge risk going to meet with the Souls. He wondered briefly how the Souls in this group would react if they realized he was a normal Human. Most likely they would flee in terror, screaming for the Seekers. He sighed and looked at his watch again. Two minutes to go.

"Are you having a problem? You keep looking at your watch," said a calm voice next to him.

Dell froze, realizing his nervousness was attracting attention. He looked over and saw a slim young woman with brown eyes watching him, a flicker of silver in them when the light was at the right angle. He took a calming breath and remembered his story. His talks with Annie, getting the details of his lie just right.

He smiled warmly and said softly, "Oh, I'm sorry. It's just I've got an appointment with my healer coming up and I didn't want to be late. But I had so wanted to go on this tour. I would hate to cut it short."

"Oh, I understand. Healers are so busy. No one would want to keep them waiting." She continued to smile at Dell. "I am Green Meadows. I too have wanted to go on this tour for a while now."

"I'm Odell," said Dell. He figured it was best to just go with his real name and not some fancy Soul name.

"That's an odd name," said Green Meadows.

"It was my host's name, I liked it and kept it," said Dell carefully. They were finally moving and he wished he could get away from this Soul.

"I see," said Green Meadows happily. "Mine's was Stephanie. It was nice, but I like my original name best."

Dell had to bite his tongue from telling Green Meadows to get the hell out of poor Stephanie. Instead, he just smiled and nodded. He made his way over to the window looking out over to the Souls' administration building. From here, Dell could see the observation deck and he could see several people on it. He took a pair of binoculars out and used them to view the people up close. He made out Kate and Scott clearly. Scott was even pointing at his eyes and Dell could tell they were normal. He went looking for Marc when Green Meadows said, "Looking for Humans?"

Dell nearly dropped his binoculars and fought not to cry out. He looked back at the small Soul woman. She wasn't looking at him but was looking out window herself. She didn't see how he reacted. He said quietly, "What do you mean?"

She looked back at him and said apologetically, "Oh, I'm sorry, that was just a silly joke. I saw you with the binoculars and thought you might be hunting Humans."

Dell sighed with relief and looked back at the other building with the binoculars. He found Marc this time, talking with several unhappy looking Seekers. He smiled to himself as he saw Scott tapping his watch, giving him the all-clear signal. He lowered the spyglass and looked back to Green Meadows. "No," he said giving his cover story, "I just like looking at the buildings. The architecture is really impressive."

Green Meadows nodded, but then she lowered her voice and said almost slyly, "Do you think they are still around? The humans that were in the hospital during the Outbreak?"

Dell smiled and shook his head, "No, I think they are long gone."


	4. Dialogue

"Are you finished?" asked Bright Moon on Fallen Snow. In the mid-morning sun Marc Walters, Kate Gonzales, and Scott Adelman stood looking out over downtown Chicago. She regarded the three Humans standing on the observation deck of the Administration Building. The Humans had made a series of hand gestures in the open air, but now stood still. A bizarre action even by human standards, but Bright Moon knew better than to dismiss it as human foolishness. They were sending a message, presumably to their fellow humans.

Marc glanced at his watch. "Yep, we're done here."

"And this confirms your safety to your friends? Was it received? What assurances will you giving me they will not start sending out information on how to remove Souls?" Bright Moon found herself growing irritated. Marc always had such effect on her. Seekers Simple Sunlight and Twice Fires standing next her looked at her in mild surprise at her aggravation.

Marc smiled at her, a friendly smile which dropped when she continued to glare at him. "I know they got our all clear message because I saw the return signal. They know we are safe." He shook his head at her and continued, "Bright Moon, why would we come this far and then turnaround and blurt out your big deep dark secret?"

She found her irritation with him rise and spoke harshly, "I don't know. You pull these ridiculous stunts, having us rush you up to the top floor just so you can dance around. Is this all just a game to you?"

Besides Bright Moon, Simple Sunlight and Twice Fires stiffened as Marc drew close to her. Marc said quietly and sternly, "No. This is not a game." He looked the three Seekers over. "Do you think I'm doing this to rub your faces in the fact I've got your secret. That I'm making you jump through hoops for fun?" He sighed and said, "It's got nothing to do with you."

Twice Fires spoke up now with a condescending attitude. "Well Human, why don't you enlighten us."

Marc scowled at Twice Fire but spoke to Bright Moon. "This stunt, as you put it, is for my people." He gestured out to the city beyond the overlook. "I am proving to them you Souls are willing to take us seriously. That our knowledge of Soul removal is better left as a secret and not a weapon."

"But you said your people wanted to find peace with us. To no longer fight," said Bright Moon as her annoyance gave way to apprehension.

"Bright Moon, we aren't…" Marc hesitated as he tried to explain. "We aren't like Souls. We don't see everything the same way. Humans are much more individualistic. Lots of different opinions," he stopped and pointed to himself with a small smile," and believe it or not everyone agrees with me."

He straightened as Kate and Scott joined him. "My point is – plenty of us felt it didn't matter what we did. We could save ten thousand Souls ten times over and you would still want our destruction. So I needed to show them my way could work and you were willing to play ball."

Bright Moon closed her eyes. She wished to work with and understanding Humans was easier. They were such a frustrating race. She was trying to help the humans and all Marc did was finding ways sure to antagonize her people.

Simple Sunlight broke up her thoughts as her fellow Seeker addressed Marc. "An ingenious plan." Bright Moon opened her eyes and saw her looking thoughtful. "There are multiple buildings one could observe this area. With binoculars, one could be even farther away. We would not be able to search all the buildings before your people disappeared."

"Well, that was the idea," said Marc. He looked Simple Sunlight up and down about her unusual dress compared to the black clothing Bright Moon and Twice Fires wore. He asked, "You are?"

The Seeker addressed Marc with the smallest of smiles, "Seeker Simple Sunlight."

Humans and Seekers began to walk back to the elevators which would take them back to meet with the Quorum. Marc asked Simple Sunlight "Can't say I remember you. Are you new?" Kate gazed at the Seeker as they walked. "Pretty sure we captured her in the net with Bright Moon's pals back in that old warehouse."

Simple Sunlight bobbed her head towards Kate while Marc snapped his fingers. "Ah right," said Marc with a grin, "good times." This brought a frown from all three Seekers as Marc's people entered the waiting elevator. As they joined the Humans Scott asked Simple Sunlight, "You weren't with Seekers in our tunnels. What happened?"

The auburn haired Seeker regarded Scott. "This body has a chronic iron deficiency. I was out of the city visiting my original healer for treatment. So I was not with Bright Moon in the tunnels…Or any of the horrible events which followed." The Soul looked down at the floor of the elevator sadly. Her reminder of the deadly events which affected both Human and Soul brought silence to both groups and what brought them together now.

"Your Healers can't fix your iron deficiency?" asked Kate.

Simple Sunlight shrugged gently, "Most of the time its a minor issue. They assure me with care and correct upkeep this body will last for a long time."

"You make it sound like you're taking your car in to get its oil changed," said Marc with note of disgust in his voice.

Twice Fires challenged, "These bodies require care so they are healthy. What is wrong with maintenance of the body? I take excellent care of my body."

Marc glanced over Twice Fires. Human and Seeker were the same height, but Twice Fire's body was much more muscular than Marc's. "What do you do slick, go to the gym? Lift some weights, do a little resistance training?" Twice Fires blinked in surprise and nodded as Marc continued, "Yeah, well congratulations, you can pick up heavy things. Got a lot of muscles on you but you've got the endurance of a wet sock. Likely slow as hell with all the extra bulk."

Twice Fires snorted, "It's served me well in my calling as a Seeker."

"Maybe so," replied Marc with a sneer, "but I've been in as many fights as years you've lived, Seeker. Won plenty and but also lost. What I've learned is strength alone rarely wins the battle."

Kate clicked her tough in disgust, looked from Marc to Twice Fires, and shook her head. "Unbelievable. Next thing you two will be doing is flexing muscles or see who can run faster. Human or Soul, men are such idiots."

There was silence in the elevator for a few seconds and then Simple Sunlight let out a little giggle. She covered her mouth but then snickered again. She looked apologetically at the other two Seekers and said sheepishly, "My apologies, but it was sort of funny." Perhaps it was Kate's joke or seeing Marc red-faced with embarrassment and not knowing what to say but Bright Moon felt herself smiling along with Simple Sunlight.

The elevator stopped and the doors opened. Marc sighed and said, "Alright, enough foolishness from all parties." He looked meaningfully at Bright Moon. "Can we get down to business?"

* * *

####

* * *

  
Agent Williams reached over to a small case opened on the coffee table and picked up a small but sharp scalpel. He examined the back of the woman's head. There was a faint pink scar near the base of the neck. Agent Gray pulled her short blond hair away from her neck as he assisted Williams in his work.

The woman lay face down in the carpet of her living room. She was unconscious from the spray of SLEEP Agent Anderson had given her when they first arrived at her home. They already established she was alone and her nearby neighbors were all off at work. Souls were so predictable in their routines Williams and the others knew they there was no need to rush.

The scalpel cut into the pink scar and Williams pulled it deftly across the woman's slim neck. He felt the muscles of the neck split from the cut of the blade. A pool of blood quickly formed and Gray soaked it up with a surgical towel. Williams began to apply a small amount of SEAL to the wound to stop the bleeding while he worked. There were plenty of reasons to hate the parasites, thought Williams, but their medicine wasn't one of them.

Soon he saw what he was looking for in the body, the top of the spine and the base of the skull. Tightly wound around the spine was the small silver body of the alien parasite. Gray blotted the cloth across the cut clearing away extra blood. This brought the little alien into better view for Williams. He examined it thoroughly, in a way it was beautiful. The silver of its body made it almost glow. The body was small, but it stretched in length as it wrapped around the spine. Hundreds of small hair-thin antenna stretched taught as piano wire, interfaced the silver creature to its host body. Williams found himself gently stroking the little silver Soul.

A crash sounded out in the hallway and both Williams and Grey looked up quickly. Agent Anderson's young face poked in from the hallway and looked apologetic for the disruption. From the bedroom, Agent Adams came out carrying a large book. He looked sharply at Anderson. He spoke to him calmly but with an edge to his voice, "Agent, while we relatively safe in this house at this hour I would advise you to be careful and more importantly be quiet."

Scolded like a child before his father Anderson ducked his head and returned to his search in the hallway and foyer. With the large book Adams sat down on the sofa and asked, "How are we doing?"

Williams gave a quick shake of his head, clearing the odd set of thoughts he was having about the parasite. "Doing fine, we'll have it out in a few minutes."

"Excellent, please proceed," replied Adams as he began looking through the book.

Williams nodded and began to trace down the body of the parasite. He felt along the body, feeling where the many antennas joined the body. Feeling each ridge, he was looking for a slight bump larger than the others. He reached the end of the little body without finding the larger ridge. His hands were large, and he didn't have much room inside the small woman's neck.

Starting again, he noticed his hands had a slight tremble in them. Something at the back of his mind bothered him. With a glower of frustration, he shoved the thoughts away and concentrated on his task. This time he felt the larger bump on the alien creature. He applied a small amount of pressure and all at once the thin tentacles began to retract from the woman's spine and brain. The body of the parasite began to undulate slowly as the hundreds of connectors retracted into its body.

Gray was already prepping a small silver tank as Williams began to pull the alien slowly out of the woman's body. The alien worm pulled and squirmed in William's hand. Once again he experienced an odd feeling towards the little creature. He brought the little alien up to his face and watched as it moved its feelers about slowly.

"Careful," warned Adams. "For now we need it intact and undamaged."

"Right," nodded Williams. Gray finished opening the cryotank and Williams slowly put the alien into the container. Gray then closed the door with a snap and the cryotank's light went from green to red.

Williams stood and looked down at the small blond-haired woman, and he noticed he had some of her blood on his hands. He addressed Agent Gray, "Can you finish her? I want to clean up." Gray nodded once and began to clean and close the wound on the woman's neck.

Down the hall of this house was a small bathroom and Agent Williams walked into it and turned on the lights. He turned the faucet on and slowly began to wash his hands. So far all was going according to plan. Their quick raid on the cryotank facility had been successful. No one would be finding Distant Harmony's body or the changes they had made. So why did he feel worried?

Williams finished cleaning his hands and turned the water off. He glanced at himself in the bathroom's mirror. He felt the early stage of a headache coming on, and he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small white pill. He swallowed it dry and then turned off the lights. The headaches came more often, and he was using more of the medicine. The doctors said the pains were normal and not to worry. But Williams just couldn't shake his anxiety.

Williams paused to consider his feelings. Perhaps it wasn't so much anxiety as it was anticipation. At long last, their time had come. Soon they wouldn't be hiding in the shadows. Adams would deliver a blow to the parasites, a hit unlike any other.

Returning to the living room, Williams saw Gray over the body, still running through his examination. Adams sat on the sofa still reading the book. Williams saw it was a photo album. He gestured to the album "What is that?"

"This," said Adams as he examined the book's cover, "is the story of two people. Man and a woman." He flipped through the beginning of photos. "They meet, fall in love, and then get married." He paused on a picture and Williams could see it was the woman on the floor in a beautiful wedding dress.

Adams continued turning pages and said, "Then they buy a house, this house. The man goes to work, and the woman stays home. All is wonderful." He slowed his turning of pages and began to look at the couple's faces. "One day the man comes back from work, but he's not himself anymore. He's been taken over by a silver worm. Then he brings his lovely little wife to the hospital and now she's one of them as well."

Adams stopped and flipped back and forth between a page of photos, then he points at one. Williams doesn't see anything at first, but then he notices their eyes. Both of them have a glint of silver in them. Earlier photos show the couple's eyes as normal. Adams looked out the window of the house and sighs, "Now these aliens seem to like each other well enough, and they don't seem to mind the living arrangement. So they go right back to the same routine. He goes to work every day, and she plays the happy homemaker. Maybe they really love each other, or maybe they're just going through the motions."

Gray spoke up as he completed inspection of the now freed woman. "Subject is non-responsive to light reflex, no pupil contraction. Scanner shows only minimal frontal cortex activity. But it's still too early to tell if she'll recover or not." He glanced over to Adams and Williams and said hesitantly, "We could try some of the drugs."

Adams shook his head, "No, don't bother."

A burst of static sounded in Williams' ear. He had nearly forgotten about the small ear bud he was wearing. Then he heard the voice of Agent Kendrick. "Subject is approaching, about two minutes out."

"Copy that," replied Adams.

"Do you need me to follow him in?" asked Kendrick.

"Negative," responded Adams. "Remain in the van and hold position. Let me know if anyone else shows up. This has the potential to become…messy."

"Understood," came Kendrick's cold reply.

Adams stood and addressed his team. "Everyone take their positions. Do not fire unless absolutely necessary. I want this one taken alive."

In unison they said, "Yes sir." Williams got up and took his place in the living room. He pressed up against the wall next to the hallway. Agent Gray quickly gathered the medical supplies and returned them to his bag. He took a position opposite Williams. From here they would be hidden until someone entered the room. Agent Anderson took his place in the kitchen if the subject tried to run out the back door.

It was little less than a minute later when they heard the garage door open and car pull in. Soon after they heard the garage door go down and a moment later a door opened. From the hallway a young man's voice called, "Sweetie, I'm home."

Williams stood motionless and an empty silence was the only thing to answer the man. Footsteps came down the hall and they were not slow or hesitant. They were ones of somebody eager to meet their love. Again the voice called, closer this time, "Sings, where are you?"

A tall man with blond hair, still wearing the white coat of a Healer, walked into the room. The very first thing he saw was the woman lying unmoving on the floor. He rushed to her side in alarm. "Sing from the Shadows!?"

Focused completely on the woman he had rushed past Williams and Gray without seeing them and now the two men stepped into view. Their weapons aimed directly at his chest. The young man gaped at them in complete surprise. Now Adams calmly walked into the living room and said softly, "Matthew, we need to talk."

* * *

 ####

* * *

 

"I propose we amend the current third paragraph of page six to include a sentence defining the terms of engagement," said Ice Cleaver to the other members of the Quorum. There was a quick nod of heads around the table. Dry Sands on the Plain looked up from her notes and said, "A point of information, would we present the changes as a new version or just an addendum to the current edition?"

"I think they are trying to torture us," whispered Kate to Marc.

Marc wasn't able to completely suppress his grin. He whispered back, "Not what you were expecting?"

"Two and half hours of this…this blather," came Kate's harsh whisper.

Marc felt a soft poke in his side and looked over to his left where Scott was sitting. He raised a finger to his lips urging silence. Marc just shrugged, Kate wasn't wrong. The meeting with the Quorum was torturous to listen to, but it wasn't intentional. The Souls of the Quorum were just conducting their business as normal. He suspected at some point the Souls had read Robert's Rules of Order and then followed it religiously. The three Human visitors were quietly waiting their turn to speak.

Scott returned to listening to the Souls and Marc noted he was actually taking notes of the meeting. 'God bless him, he's a saint,' thought Marc as Scott studiously followed their conversation. Marc leaned back in his chair and watched the proceedings as the Souls continued to talk. He wasn't interesting in what they were saying, just how they were saying it. He was sizing up personalities of the Souls making up the Quorum.

Marc hadn't been sure what to expect when they meet with the Quorum. But as he reflected on the last couple of hours, this meeting was exactly what he had come to expect from Souls - simple, effective, and utterly boring. Souls from each of their Callings made up the Quorum. He looked from one Soul to the next: Healer Long Rivers, a middle-aged man with a neatly trimmed beard. Comforter Benjamin, a tall white-haired man. Educator Dry Sands on the Plain, a young pretty brunet woman. Builder Ice Cleaver, a pudgy little man. Marc stopped short at the next man, Seeker Skyward Into the Night. Of course, he was a member of the Quorum.

The Seeker was staring back at Marc and as usual he didn't look happy. Marc returned the stare and soon it became of contest of who would look away first. At the beginning of the meeting, Skyward had introduced Marc, Scott, and Kate. He acted as if he was terribly sorry to bother his fellow members with the humans. The Souls had stared nervously at the Humans, as if they were a pack of wolves preparing to attack a herd of sheep. But the twelve Seekers standing nearby Marc and the others eased their fears.

Seeker and Human continued their stare down, oblivious to the others. Marc turned away first, he wasn't going to let the damnable Seeker get to him. He let Skyward have this little win. While still new to the Quorum and its members, Marc was beginning to suspect Skyward wasn't much liked by his peers. Well, as much as Souls ever did dislike each other.

Scott poked him again, this time harder, and he looked over to his friend. "What?" he asked in a hiss.

"Long Rivers asked you a question," said Scott.

Surprised, Marc looked up to see Long Rivers looking at him, with just the faintest of smiles. "I'm sorry Mr. Walters. I explained we were breaking for lunch and if you and your friends would join me. There is someone who would like to meet you."

Marc grew confused. "Who wants to meet us?"

"Again I apologize," said Long Rivers gently, "We had meant to go over our agenda with you. But your…detour to the roof threw off our schedule. Specifically one of my healers and his friends would like to meet with Miss Gonzales."

"Me? Why?" asked Kate.

Long Rivers grew surprised, "Don't you know? Your endeavors at the hospital have been a source of much discussion among the healers."

"Well, you know how it is when you move," said Marc in jest, "your mail never gets forwarded and you're busy redecorating so you don't pay attention to the news."

"Of course," replied Long Rivers, either missing or ignoring the joke. He stood up and Marc and Scott followed while Kate remained in her seat. Marc leaned down and said quietly, "If you don't want to, it's okay."

Kate shook herself and got out of her seat, "No, its fine. I just can't figure out anything I did would be so important."

They followed Long Rivers out the door and down the hallway. A group of Seekers moved with them. Marc sighed to himself and tried to hide his annoyance. It appeared the Seekers would be following the humans where ever they went. He glanced over and found Bright Moon on Fallen Snow walking nearby. Their eyes met for a moment. He tried to smile at her, but she quickly turned away. 'Impossible woman,' thought Marc.

Exiting the hall Long Rivers led them into a small room. Like the other room they meet with the Quorum, this room was sparsely finished with dull off white walls. In the room sat a grey-haired older man. Next to him sat a young couple with a baby. At sight of these people, Kate's jaw dropped in complete surprise.

"Darren?" said Kate when she recovered.

The grey-haired man stood and closed the distance to Kate. He gave a quick bow and said, "Kate I am most pleased to see you again."

"Well…good to see you too," said Kate. She pointed at Darren and said to Marc, "This is Healer Darren. I worked with him during the plague." Marc and Scott returned the simple bow. She glanced over to the couple with the baby, who were watching her with wide eyes. She turned back to Darren and asked, "Is that…umm Dancing Blue or something like it?"

"Blue Waves Dancing," said the woman softly while holding her baby. She was a small woman with curly black hair. She indicated the man with thinning blond hair next to her and said, "This is my partner Many Eyes Seeing." The man briefly smiled at the Humans but his attention was almost entirely on his partner and child. Now she smiled down at her daughter and said, "And you remember her, yes? We named her Sunrise on the Wide Lake."

Kate smiled broadly and kneeled down next to the couple. There was no fear from them at her approach and they gladly let Kate hold their infant. "Of course, I remember you little one," said Kate as she held the baby carefully.

Marc turned back Long Rivers and Darren and asked, "Kate told us about helping deliver the baby, is this why she's such a big deal?"

"Yes," agreed Long Rivers as he firmly nodded. "She helped save mother and daughter. The act of birth is very special among us Souls. Kate Gonzales' actions during the crisis have been told and retold among many of us.

"I don't know about saving anyone," said Kate and turned to Blue Waves Dancing. "You did all the hard work. I just yelled."

Blue Wave Dancing shook her head, her black curls dancing around her head. "No, Kate, I couldn't have done it without you. When I had given up, you forced me to go on. You were so strong." Kate now blushed at the Soul's words.

Scott moved close to Marc and said quietly, "This is really important to them isn't? You would think they would be offering Simon a statue or something."

Marc considered and a thought which had been in the back of his mind pushed its way to the front of his busy mind. "I think when Simon forced Crystal Spires out of Annie it might have burned a bridge or two." He lowered his voice, "Or maybe entirely different, Souls are so hard to figure out."

Scott shrugged with a smile, "Well they are aliens."

Marc was about to respond when Kate gave a gasp and with a sudden start handed the baby back to her mother. Blue Waves Dancing grew instantly worried about her child. She checked the newborn over quickly. Kate had gone nearly white. Marc was over to her side almost immediately. "What's wrong?"

"The baby," said Kate in a near whisper. "She opened her eyes and I could see it…see the reflection in her eyes from the lights." She turned back to the infant and said in despair, "The baby has a Soul."

Blue Waves Dancing smiled happily at her child and then to the humans, not understanding their pain. "Yes, a new-born Soul in a new-born Human body. She will grow up and love this world and all its people. I just know it."

Kate closed her eyes.

* * *

####

* * *

  
Matthew sat on the couch as Gray and Williams held their guns on him. The parasite kept looking back to the woman on the floor, his eyes desperate. He looked up to Adams and said in a pleading voice, "Please let me check on Sings from the Shadows. Did…did you hurt her?"

Adams picked up the Cryotank and showed it to Matthew. "Sings from the Shadows is in here." He pointed to the red light on the tank. "She…well let's be technically correct here…It is safe and sound."

Matthew's eyes widened in alarm as he realized what had happened to his partner. For a moment, it appeared he would vomit but after gulping nervously he forced himself to relax. He once again glanced at the unmoving woman, "Is she…umm…Elizabeth alright?"

Adams' eyebrows raised and with an edge of curiosity in his voice asked, "The host body? What do you care of her well-being, parasite?"

"I am a healer. I care for all life. I don't want to see her hurt," said Matthew. Although still clearly frightened, there was an edge of outrage in his voice.

"Really?" replied an amused Adams as he sat the cryotank down, Matthew's eyes never left it. He then sat down across from Matthew and pointed to the unmoving woman on the floor. "She is basically a vegetable, no higher brain activity. I would say you and your kind have already done plenty of damage."

Matthew looked stricken and again seemed ready to throw up. He glanced fretfully between Gray and Williams. They only returned a stony glare to the parasite cowering on the sofa. With a trembling hand, he gestured to Adams. "Why are you helping him? Please don't do this."

Without warning, Adams jumped up from his seat and covered the distance between Matthew in one quick stride. He bent down and pulled the terrified Healer up and drove his fist into his stomach. Matthew howled in pain. Adams let go and Matthew fell back onto the sofa with a thud. The Healer writhed in pain and then he curled into a tight ball and vomited.

Adams studied the traumatized Healer and then knelt next to Matthew and said in a low voice, "You don't get to ask questions. That's not how this works." He looked Matthew in the eye and continued, "And you don't get to suicide yourself either. If you do, I'll rip every antenna off your Sings. One by one, I'll make sure I do it slowly. Sings from the Shadows will die in agony."

Matthew paled and begged, "Please don't hurt Sings. Please…Please…I'll do whatever you want."

Adams nodded in approval, "Good. Very good. Matthew, I want you to tell me everything you know about Marc Walters."

* * *

####

* * *

  
"I am sorry," said Healer Long Rivers. Marc could tell the Soul was quite upset. But he didn't much feel like accepting an apology. He simply stood and waited for the Healer to continue. Long Rivers sighed and continued, "The story of a Human helping a mother and child in the middle of the disaster has become something of a wonder and inspiration to my people. An event which brings our two races together." He looked down sadly. "I didn't think about it from your perspective. Insertion of a newborn is…a given." He paused, tried to find words but eventually gave up and again repeated. "I am sorry."

Marc closed his eyes and tried to will away a growing headache. He didn't know the first thing about diplomacy, negotiation, or politics. And even if he did, it might be useless when dealing with an alien race which had a fundamental different look on life. He was beginning to see just how difficult trying to find peace with the Souls would be for both sides.

'Be diplomatic,' Marc told himself. He wasn't sure how. If Long Rivers was attempting to see it from the Humans perspective, he supposed he could try to see it from the Souls'. He opened his eyes and said plainly, "Long Rivers I know you didn't do any of this on purpose. You were trying to help improve relations between us and I can't fault you for that."

Long Rivers reflected on Marc's words and said slowly, "Thank you." He paused before asking, "Will Kate be alright? She was very upset."

Marc thought about how angry Kate was now, but went for the more tactful answer. "She will be, just give it time. But let's not have anymore surprises for now. Okay?"

"Agreed," said Long Rivers with a nod and continued down the hall to the doors to the Quorum meeting.

Marc just shook his head. This was going to be a long day.


	5. Truths

Seeker Simple Sunlight smiled as she entered the Seekers Headquarters' main office. Her smile widened as soon as she saw her fellow Seeker Bright Moon on Fallen Snow. Her fellow Seeker sat at her desk reviewing a pile of papers.

"I knew I would find you here," said Simple Sunlight as she sat down at her desk across from Bright Moon. A quick glance at the clocked showed the time as few minutes before 8 AM and from the look of Bright Moon's desk she had been here for some time. Simple Sunlight could only shake her head in faint amusement.

Not looking up from her work Bright Moon said mildly, "Where else would I be?"

"Enjoying the morning sunrise, eating breakfast at a café, or possibly anything other than working," replied Simple Sunlight.

Bright Moon now looked up with a faint frown. "I have a duty to perform and work to complete. I can watch sunrises some other time."

With the smallest of exasperated sighs Simple Sunlight turned back to her own desk and began to review her own work. Bright Moon quickly returned to her own tasks but the silence between the two Seekers only last a few minutes.

Simple Sunlight cleared her throat and asked hesitantly, "Have you answered Saffron's request for dinner? I know he would very much like to take you to the new bistro…" She broke off as she saw Bright Moon shoulders slump down and a faint groan come from the Seeker.

"Must you start on this again?" asked a pained Bright Moon.

Simple Sunlight's face grew apologetic at once. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

Bright Moon sighed and she turned from her work and addressed her friend. "I'm not upset. I just don't want to talk about the subject."

"But…it's just dinner. Saffron is an old friend from Flower World and he would make excellent company," replied Simple Sunlight meekly but with a tone which implied she wasn't going to give up that easily.

Bright Moon closed her eyes and pleaded in a voice which almost could be called a whine, "Simple…"

Simple Sunlight looked at Bright Moon as her fellow Seeker sat in her chair and misery began to show on the blond-haired Soul. Simple Sunlight's rosy smile faded as she watched her. After a moment she cleared her throat and asked Bright Moon in a subdued voice. "Is this about Calm Waters Below?"

Bright Moon's eyes snapped opened. Her pained expression retreated instantly and she asked in a chilly voice, "Are you my Comforter now?"

Simple Sunlight recoiled at the words and Bright Moon sighed as she could tell from her friend's hurt expression she had been unduly rude. She wanted to blame her outburst on an over emotional host body, but knew it wasn't the truth. She hung her head and spoke apologetically, "I am so sorry, Simple Sunlight. I didn't mean to hurt you. I just don't…feel up to searching for a partner right now."

The auburn haired Seeker pulled her chair across the aisle to Bright Moon's side. She took Bright Moon's hand in hers and smiled at the suffering Soul. "Have you talked to a Comforter? I can't bear to see you in this pain."

Bright Moon sighed deeply and said in a very soft voice, "I don't like talking to Comforters. I don't see the point. Calm Waters Below is dead. He was a good friend and I will miss him always. Talking about it will change nothing."

"You mourn him, but you also despair at a lost opportunity," said Simple Sunlight in an equally soft voice. Bright Moon nodded forlornly at this simple truth.

"He wanted to be my…partner. But I was always too busy and I never realized…" Bright Moon trailed off as she pondered her dead friend and what could have been. She looked down at Simple Sunlight holding her hand, a simple act of friendship, and suddenly she felt a few tears roll down her cheeks. Simple Sunlight pulled Bright Moon into a loose embrace and let Bright Moon cry softly. After a few minutes Bright Moon pulled away and sniffed. Simple Sunlight handed her a small cloth handkerchief and she dried her eyes.

"Oh these emotional bodies," sighed Bright Moon quietly. She looked up at Simple Sunlight. "Are you sure your calling wasn't to be a Comforter?" asked Bright Moon with a weak smile.

Simple Sunlight paused to consider, tapping a finger against her chin in thought. "I suppose if these talks with the Humans prove successful there will be much less need for Seekers. Perhaps I will become a Comforter." She stopped tapping with her finger and looked pointed at Bright Moon, "Now about dinner with Saffron."

"You have a one track mind Simple Sunlight," said an exasperated Bright Moon.

Simple Sunlight smiled at her fellow Seeker but then grew serious. "It's a dinner. Not an invitation to become life partners. You deserve a break, take a night off, relax, and do something other than work." She could see Bright Moon thinking her words over but she remained unconvinced. A mischievous look appeared on Simple Sunlight's face and she asked, "Is there another you would wish to have dinner with? Hmm, a certain wild human? You would then be able to mix business and pleasure."

Bright Moon's eyes nearly popped out of her head and she gaped open mouth at her friend's words. "But…Marc! I…It would be...be...unthinkable!" exclaimed Bright Moon. Simple Sunlight's body began to shake with laughter. After a moment Bright Moon on Fallen Snow couldn't help but laugh as well. Several other Seekers just arriving in the office looked on with bewilderment at the two laughing women.

"I'm sorry," wheezed Simple Sunlight, "but the look on your face was priceless. I didn't mean to insult you."

"No it is alright," said Bright Moon as she calmed herself. Still smiling she said shyly, "Tell your friend Saffron I will have dinner with him tonight. Now if you're done, can we get back to work?"

"Yes of course Seeker," said a much more reserved Simple Sunlight as she looked over the piles of documents on Bright Moon's desk. "What is all of this?"

"Research," said Bright Moon simply. She tapped her computer screen and continued, "There is a report of a missing Soul named Distant Harmony. I have worked on tracking down his possible whereabouts." She glanced at her own clock and sighed, "I need to be over to the Administration Building soon, I have Humans to watch."

"Bright Moon, you do too much. Relax, I will handle looking for our missing Soul," said Simple Sunlight as she sat down at her desk and began to work.

Bright Moon on Fallen Snow smiled and began gathered her papers. She paused and said sincerely to her friend, "Thank you Simple Sunlight."

* * *

####

* * *

"Sarah is about two months from giving birth," explained Marc Walters as he looked over some of Scott's hastily written notes. "Now Simon can handle it, but we would feel a lot better if she did the birth in a hospital." He looked up at Healer Long Rivers who had asked Marc about the Human's medical needs.

The Healer considered Marc's request and after a moment nodded. "That won't be an issue. I believe we can accommodate Sarah's pregnancy without a problem."

"And her child? What would happen to her baby?" asked Marc bluntly. After their first day of negotiations with the Souls and the near disaster of the Soul newborn, Marc was taking no chances of cultural misunderstandings. Unless the Souls completely understood Sarah's baby would be off-limits they would handle the birth themselves.

"No," said Long Rivers, shaking his head firmly, "her child would not be taken. You have my word on it."

"Alright, I'll speak to Simon and Sarah about it and get back to you," replied Marc. He knew already Mike and Sarah would be very reluctant to trust the Souls and go anywhere near one of their hospitals. Looking over to Scott who was jotting some new notes, Marc stretched, trying hard to suppress a yawn. It had been a long morning.

Now Comforter Benjamin spoke up in his slow methodical speech. This only severed to increase Marc's desire to fall asleep. "Well…if no one has any objections…I propose we break for lunch." There were nods from the other Souls of the Quorum. No one was really asking the humans if they wanted to stop for lunch. Scott and Marc had learned they had little say on anything outside the Souls' agenda for the humans.

However Marc hardly felt like objecting, he was out of his seat nearly at once. Scott held up his hand and Marc stopped and tapped his foot impatiently on the floor. From his writing Scott glanced down at Marc's foot and asked without looking at Marc, "What, do you need to go to the bathroom?"

"Oh shut up," replied Marc, "been sitting here for hours. Need to stretch my legs."

Scott finished his writing and looked up, "I need to speak with Healer Long Rivers, go ahead without me." He cracked a smile at Marc. "See if the Seekers will let you up to the top floor, plenty of fresh air and space for you to run around."

"Asshole", breathed Marc as he turned and left the room. As always several Seekers followed him out of the room. They kept a reasonable distance from him. But no matter where Marc went in the Souls' Administration building, he had five Seekers following him. _'My own personal entourage,'_ thought Marc glumly.

"Why do you insult your friend?"

Surprised, Marc stopped and looked back at the Seekers, one of them had spoken to him. They had never said a word to him so far. He wasn't sure which one had spoken to him and he hadn't bothered to learn their names.

"I'm sorry?" responded Marc.

The Seeker in the middle, a young dark-skinned man with short wiry hair, answered him. "I asked why you insulted your friend. His suggestion to go to the top floor was practical and reasonable."

Marc ran his hand through his combed out hair, he hated it when he combed it out straight. He regarded the Seeker who asked him the question. He, or at least his body, was around his own age. The Soul was likely many times older. Marc sighed, "Why is it you guys are thousands of years old, and half the time I feel like I'm talking to a four-year old?"

The Seeker blinked in surprise and said, with a note of embarrassment in his voice, "I'm actually five."

For a moment Marc thought the Seeker was joking with him before he realized the Soul was speaking the truth. The human body the alien wore had nothing to do with the real age of little creature attached to the brain. A thousand-year old Soul could be in a kid and a newborn Soul could be in an old man. The discontinuity between the two always left Marc with a minor headache.

"What's your name?" asked Marc after he considered how to answer.

"Night Ember Lights, but most call me Nigel." He ducked his head as Marc appraised him.

"Okay, look Nigel," said Marc quickly as he didn't feel like getting into a long discussion with the Seeker. "I was not insulting Scott. Just think of it as…friendly teasing. Don't worry about it."

Nigel appeared to want to ask more, but between Marc and his fellow Seekers Nigel had quickly became the center of attention. The young Soul didn't seem to like being in the spot light and simple nodded his head meekly.

Satisfied Marc turned around and nearly collided with Bright Moon on Fallen Snow. She had walked up behind him as he talked to young Nigel. Marc felt of growl of anger form in his throat. But it wasn't directed at Bright Moon or any of the Seekers. It was anger directed at himself. There was a time, not long ago, a Seeker would never have snuck up on him. Marc would have been on high alert, his senses focused, and his attention tight to threats. _'I'm getting soft up here,'_ consider Marc.

Bright Moon studied Marc critically, as though she was trying to come to some conclusion. She cocked her head and asked softly, "Is there a problem?"

Uncertain if she was talking to him or the Seekers assigned to follow him, Marc simply shrugged and said, "No problem, just discussing the finer points of human friendship with Seeker Nigel."

Bright Moon regarded Nigel with a curious glance, "Nigel?"

The blush wasn't hidden by his dark skin and Nigel shifted uncomfortably. "Umm, Night Ember Lights, Seeker Bright Moon on Fallen Snow. Most people call me Nigel."

"See, Bri, a nice decent short name. Doesn't take an hour to introduce yourself, unlike some people," exaggerated Marc. He almost kept himself from grinning at her, but not quite. Using her shortened name almost always got under skin and this time was no different. She frowned at him and he found his grin widening into a smile.

Scowling she said, "Always with the insults, Marc."

"For you Bri, I'll always have one ready to go," needled Marc.

The two of them stared each other down, Marc with a patronizing smile and Bright Moon with annoyed frown. It lasted for a good thirty seconds, both Seeker and Human unwilling to budge when Nigel spoke up hesitantly, "Is this…umm…more friendly banter?"

"What?" both Marc and Bright Moon exclaimed at the same time. They broke their staring contest and refocused on Seeker Nigel. The youthful Seeker took a step back, now looking mortified. He sputtered out, "I…umm…sorry. Marc Walters explained how he talked with his friend Scott. Umm…kindly teasing. Is that happening…here? Are you…friends?"

Marc blinked, surprised at himself. He was in fact poking fun at Bright Moon, but with gentle humor. He always liked her little frown she had when he perturbed her. Their stare down had none of the same simmering anger found when he dealt with Seeker Skyward. He peeked over to Bright Moon and saw she was faintly blushing.

She glanced his way and her blush only deepened. She took a deep breath and then let it slowly out. Calming herself she turned back to the assembled Seekers who had impassively watched all of bizarre behavior between herself, Nigel, and Marc. She said quietly but firmly, "I would speak with Marc Walters alone. I will monitor his activities and call if the need arises. You may go about your other duties." The Seekers looked at each for a moment and then turned and walked back down the hallway. Seeker Nigel paused but with a silent glare from Bright Moon he quickly turned and caught up with other Seekers.

Enjoying himself Marc said, "Bright Moon, you really keep the troops in line around here, don't you?"

Without looking at him she said quietly, "Marc, can I speak to you? We have a matter to discuss."

Uncertainty crept into his voice, "Okay, sure I guess. What is this about?"

She led him into a small room. Several plush white chairs sat around a very tiny table. Too small to be a real meeting room, the room had all the markings of a waiting room. The table and the chairs were of course spotless. Marc sat down across from Bright Moon. The Seeker carried with her a large pile of paperwork. He tried to guess what she wanted, her earlier scowl was gone and her normal calm and cool behavior had returned in full force.

"I know who you are," she said simply.

"What?" asked Marc, "What do you mean?"

With faint hesitation she said, "I know your real name…Christopher."

Marc's mouth opened and then closed, but he remained silent. With a small smile of triumph from his reaction she continued, "That is your real name, isn't? Christopher Marcus Walters."

Marc went completely white.

* * *

####

* * *

"Hon, can you pass the chips please?" asked Ian from the end of the picnic table.

Wanda looked through a grocery sack and found the bag of potato chips she had gotten for Ian. She passed him the bag, his hand lingering on her as they touched. As always when this happened in public she felt her cheeks warming. Ian's smile grew as he saw her flush, knowing his touch was the cause.

"Ogle your boyfriend later Wanda," said an irritated Lacey. She watched the two of them with narrowed eyes. "I would like to eat and get back in the van as soon as possible."

Nate looked around the small rest stop. Other than their van parked in what barely counted as a parking lot, they were alone. "Lacey, we're fine here. Burns and Ian are keeping a look out. And if anyone stops by, it's a nice sunny day, so no one will think anything is wrong if we are wearing sunglasses."

Lacey continued to scowl but said no more. Still humiliated by Lacey's very vocal comment Wanda felt herself turn even a deeper shade of red after Ian had taken the chips. Melanie saved her from locking up with shyness. "Wanda, Cheetos," said Melanie as she gave Lacey a dark look. The small woman ignored her and turned back to eating her tuna fish sandwich.

Remembering her prized Cheetos she pulled out two bags from her sack and handed one to Mel. She gladly took it from Wanda and ripped it open and began eating the orange puffy snack. Wanda did the same, although more carefully than Mel. She didn't want to litter.

As she ate she tried hard not to become nervous. Nate was right; they had little to fear here. After stopping to pick up food in the last small town, Ian and Nate decided this small and out-of-the-way rest stop would make for a good stopping place for lunch. They had been steadily traveling for the last day and half. Four Humans, two Souls, and a small pile of supplies in Nate's van made up their expedition to Chicago to search for a group of humans who might be living in tunnel beneath the city. Perhaps it was a fool's errand, but maybe not.

Already she was missing her home in the caves in the Arizona desert. She had grown used to the protective cover of the stone tunnels with her little human family. Now out in the open in the warm Missouri sun she was beginning to fret. Not for the first time she wondered how large open spaces had become a source of fear. Perhaps her time joined with Mel had colored her experience. Mel had spent years on the run, open spaces were a danger to her. Or it could be a previous life; on the Mist World the vast open icy plains were full of hidden dangers. Did the open sunny fields of the farmland surrounding her hold hidden dangers?

"You're thinking about the Planet of the Bears, aren't you," said Mel.

Wanda shook herself, her human sister's words pulling her out of her thoughts abruptly. She smiled shyly at Mel who was grinning at her, proud at her clever observation. "Is it that obvious?"

Melanie shrugged, "I can tell some times. When you get a faraway look in your eyes you're thinking about the Bears. But if you close your eyes you're thinking about the Bats."

Nate glanced between them and gave a low whistle, "Nice trick you two have there. It's almost like mind reading isn't it?"

"We shared the same body for a whole year and basically lived in each other's minds. Hard not to learn everything about each other," said Melanie with a sigh.

From the end of the table Lacey snorted and dropped the remains of her sandwich on her plate. Wanda turned towards the short-haired brunet. Lacey gazed off into the distance, her eyes closed and her face unreadable. From the corner of her eye she could see Mel shaking her head, but she went ahead and asked, "What's wrong Lacey?"

"Nothing's wrong," came the cold reply from Lacey. "Just tired of hearing about the great time the two of you had while Wanda controlled Melanie's body." She turned back and glared at Wanda and Melanie. "You two make me sick."

"Lacey," said Mel tightly, "trust me it wasn't fun for either of us. I hated it at first and I was terrified of Wanda. The lack of control drove me crazy." Wanda hung her head at Mel's words, not liking to remember the pain she caused her. Wanda now spoke softly, "Lacey, my first year here on Earth was perhaps the most difficult time of all my lives…"

"Five," interrupted Lacey. She stuck her hand out in front of them and wiggled her fingers. "Five years I had her…in me. You two go on and on about your year tied together. Well try doing it for five years." Lacey dropped her hands to her lap and she stared down at them. Everyone at the table sat as still as stone. It was the first time Lacey had ever spoken about the Soul, the Seeker, who controlled her body

Lacey continued in a shaky voice, "You two ended up being friends…How? I hated…her…and she hated me." Lacey looked up, her eyes blazing at Wanda and said, "No, don't tell me about how all Souls are all love and happiness. She did everything she could to silence me, to force me down. But she couldn't! I was stronger!" Wanda cowered back from Lacey's anger. She saw both Mel and Ian jump up, ready to defend her but Lacey stopped and stood up from the table.

Lacey glared at the three of them and then turned and walked back to the van. Her walk unsteady and her shoulders rising and failing unevenly, it was not until she reached the van they all could clearly hear her sobbing.


	6. Remembrance

"Com'on Brother Tim," called Mia as she ran down the dark tunnel.

Tim groaned, and not for the first time wondered if bringing Mia along was such a great idea. He could keep up with her. His legs were getting long and strong from his most recent growth spurt. Keeping up with Mia wasn't his problem. It was the strange game Mia insisted on playing in the tunnels. She played a game that was one part tag, one part hide and seek, and a lot of random bits from other games. Only she seemed to know the rules. But if she decided to play, she would make sure you were going to play as well.

"Mia, slow down. I don't want to play your crazy game. I want to get to the Duck Blind and see the sun." After nearly a month of being cooped up and with little to do but listen to Sarah try to teach, Tim very badly wanted to get out of their hiding spot. To see the sun, to see the world above, anything other than the four same lime green walls. Mia, always the escape artist, was the best choice to help him get away.

"Mia," called Tim. She had vanished down the tunnel. He stopped and looked back; she was likely trying to sneak up on him. But there was only darkness behind him.

"Mia!" barked Tim. He grit his teeth, he didn't have time for this. He covered the distance to where he last saw her. He reached it and once again looked around, but like a ghost Mia had vanished.

"Fine! Your win the game, come out. Let's get to the Duck Blind," snapped Tim.

Silence was the only reply.

"Mia?" asked a worried Tim, who tried hard to not sound worried. He turned slowly around.

"Tag!" came a cry from out of nowhere.

Tim didn't have even a second to react; Mia leapt up and promptly bopped him on the head. Tim fought hard to not cry out, he was only partly successful. He let out a loud squeak of fear.

"You sound like little Alexis," said Mia with victorious smile.

"Did not, you just surprised me," defended Tim.

"Tim Bradford, age fifteen. Going on five as a little baby girl," mocked Mia.

"Oh shut up. I didn't want to play your dumb game anyway." Tim began moving again down the tunnel. He didn't really care if Mia followed.

But she did follow, and they continued on in silence. Tim knew Mia well enough to tell she was now sulking, and she confirmed his suspicions when she said, "No one wants to play with Mia."

"Because none of us understand your idiotic game," said Tim.

Mia was silent and then in a small voice she said, "Brother Marc does, and I only beat him when he lets me. But none of the other adults will play, and now Brother Marc is busy with the bright eyes."

Tim stopped in the dark tunnel and looked Mia over. His flashlight showed her dark hair and dark eyes, her Asian heritage standing out from her dirty and baggy clothes. He spoke to her in a mater-of-fact tone, acting older than he was, "We can't all play games. Marc's trying to get the Souls to leave us alone. It's important."

Mia cocked her head and said flatly, "Brother is just trying to play their games. You can't win their games."

Exasperated Tim said, "Mia, you don't know what you're talking about." He turned and continued down the tunnel. Her next words brought him to a halt.

"Tim, the Souls love their rules, order, and conformity. They don't like it when the rules change."

Tim spun around, his flashlight catching her eyes, her dark human eyes. He blinked at her, not sure he heard her words. He asked, "What?"

Now Mia spoke as if she was the adult speaking to a child. "Marc's trying to change their rules." She paused as she considered her judgment and then said, "He's going to fail."

* * *

####

* * *

"Christopher Marcus Walters, only son born to Michael and Lauren Walters," said Seeker Bright Moon on Fallen Snow. She spoke in a clip, formal voice, as she opened a folder and continued to read through its contents. Marc sat across from her, frozen in place, his face pale.

"Your father was a prominent lawyer at a downtown law firm. Your mother was the director for a local charity. At age five you're enrolled at Frances Warde School. At a young age you showed skills in both reading and mathematics." The Seeker paused as she went through the documents making up Marc's childhood. He continued to stare blankly at her.

"From all accounts and records we could find you had a happy and very comfortable childhood," continued Bright Moon. She hesitated and then said somberly, "When you were ten years old your father was struck and killed by a drunk driver. Your mother was unable to support paying for your school and home. You and your mother moved to small apartment, and you went to new school."

Marc's shock was wearing off but the unexpected narration of his life yanked him into old and painful memories. Memories he had long considered dead and buried. He closed his eyes and remembered a very different life, a life of living in a fancy high-rise apartment overlooking Lake Michigan, of going to school in a uniform with friends, and picnics in the park with his parents. But they were toxic memories. To linger with them would destroy him. Anger began to push out the surprise of Bright Moon's discovery. He opened his eyes and saw the parasite in the pretty blond woman was still speaking, "By age twelve your grades had suffered and your mother was showing symptoms of deep depression."

In a very quiet voice but with menace behind each word he said, "What. Do. You. Want?"

Bright Moon stopped and looked down at her pile of papers, in a soft voice she said, "Marc, I'm not trying to upset you. I looked for information on you many times before…but I made assumptions about your life and who you were so I never found your real identity. It wasn't too after you told me you lived your entire life in the city did I refocus my search. And even then it was difficult, official records showed Christopher Walters dead at…

"Christopher is dead," declared Marc with growing anger in his voice. He glared at Bright Moon and the Seeker shrank back from Marc but she held his stare, his angry brown eyes to her sad blue eyes with their bright silver rings.

Marc continued his voice tight and hard, "Need to fill in a few details on my life for some meaningless report? Want to know what it's like to have your mother retreat into the bottle and pills? Or get beat up every day because you're the new kid from some fancy private school? Or see your mom declared unfit and get bounced around in the foster care system? Need to know any of that, Seeker Bright Moon on Fallen Snow?"

"Marc, please, I know these are painful memories for you. I don't mean to hurt you," said Bright Moon. Her voice was full of concern and pity. The tone of her voice only angered Marc.

"Well then, why the hell are you bringing it up!" snapped Marc.

"You think of me as only a Seeker," said Bright Moon softly. She tried to smile at Marc but his scowl forced it to retreat from her face. She sighed and said simply, "Marc, I am a Soul. Do you think I am not moved by your life? All the violence you suffered? Don't you think we want to help?"

"How are you helping?" spat Marc.

Bright Moon spread her arms wide and smiled. "Marc I know I can't undo your pain. Or the loss of your parents, but don't you understand what we Souls have done for the entire human race? Can't you see we've built a world where no child will lose their parents to a drunk driver? Or even if a parent is lost the child would never be abandoned." She paused and folded her hands before her, as to plead with him. "I've listened to you talk with the Quorum, on how you want to be free to live your own lives, free of us. But can't you see we only want what is best for you?"

Bright Moon finished her little speech and continued to smile. Marc found he couldn't help but smile as well. But his smile held no humor; it was one of complete ice. She continued to look expectantly at Marc, hopeful her speech had convinced him of the Souls' good will. The ice in Marc's smile cracked and a low, seething anger pushed through.

"First, let's get one thing straight here," began Marc in a cold voice. "You didn't build this world, humans built this world. We imperfect little bipeds built this world, this city, the building we're setting in right now. You and your kind _stole_ this world." He slapped his hand on the table, and Bright Moon pushed back from the table as it shook. He pointed down to the table and said, "Name me anything the Souls actually created which wasn't stolen from us or some other race you claimed to be _improving_." He looked up at her now and saw she had pushed herself away from him, backing herself into the corner. Away from the angry and violent human named Marc Walters.

Bright Moon stopped cringing into the wall and countered, "That's not a fair comparison. We are a race living through our hosts. We can't physically build a building or create a new technology on our own, we need a host body."

"Hell you don't even live your own lives, you copy the body you're inserted. If you had come and taken over and made this world like your home I would believe you. But you just run around coping us and then pat yourselves on the back for how fantastic it is to be a Soul," said Marc, his voice scathing with sarcasm.

"We aren't destroyers! That's human thinking," argued a scornful Bright Moon. "We preserve life and the society of our hosts. We perfect their lives."

"No you don't," snapped Marc. "You don't even understand the lives you've taken."

Now Bright Moon was angry, the Seeker red-faced and her words came from clenched teeth, "We understand your violent hateful species just fine."

Calm settled over Marc and he spoke quietly but with raw emotion in his voice, "You don't, you really don't understand. I've watched you guys play our sports, like football or basketball. But our games are too violent for you Souls. So you strip out everything you find distasteful. What's left is just a bunch of people running around. No one keeps score, everyone is a winner. So why play? What's the point? Why don't you come up with new games?"

Marc paused but answered his own question before Bright Moon could, "Because you don't have anything to come up with. Only what humans already created."

Bright Moon began, "There is more to life than games, we live…"

Marc interrupted, "Church. Why do I see Souls going to church? I mean it was a puzzler to us for a long time. You Souls don't believe in any of our religions, so why go? But I've watch Souls file in, go to service, come out and go to the Church Bake Sale. Far as I can tell, the host body did before so the Soul just keeps on doing the same thing, even after the meaning is long gone."

Finished Marc leaned back in his chair and stared back at Bright Moon. Her previous smile washed away. The Seeker now just glowered at him unhappily. He stood up, his anger abated. Now he only felt what he could best describe as disappointment. He said with a trace of pity in his voice, "Face it Bright Moon, you Souls are empty. Why the hell would I want to be like you?"

Marc turned to leave when Bright Moon's quiet voice stopped him. "We're not empty. We feel, we love, we get sad, and it hurts when we get slapped away when trying to help."

"If you call the near extinction of the human race helping, stop helping," replied Marc.

"That's not what I meant," said Bright Moon sadly.

Marc could only sigh as he left her behind. He felt completely drained and wanted nothing more than to get away from this building, the Souls, and be far away from anyone else. Lost in his thoughts, he didn't see Scott sitting at conference table. It was only when he heard Scott's soft sob did he look up. Scott sat along with Healer Long Rivers and Comforter Benjamin. All three of them, Human and Souls, had faces full of misery.

Alarmed, Marc asked, "What happened?"

Scott looked up, grief-stricken and said, "It's Matthew."

* * *

####

* * *

Tim walked slowly up the narrow stair case to reach the hidden room. It was early afternoon and the building holding the hidden Duck Blind was full of Souls, he needed to be quiet. Not his first time to the human's hidden outpost on the heart of Chicago, but the first when he was coming unexpected. He hoped Jason would be here, the young man would be willing to bend the rules for him.

Behind him Mia followed, moving in near silence. Since her strange conversation with him in the tunnels, Mia had not said word. Her prediction the Humans would fail to change the Souls' view of humanity bothered Tim. He wasn't sure why it bothered him. Mia often said strange and unusual things; most people in their little community just ignored her words.

Tim turned to Mia and once again tried to get her to explain why she thought they were going to fail when a voice from the top of the stairs interrupted. "What," said an angry whisper, "are you two doing here?"

Tim froze and looked up to the top the stairs where Dell stood with a deep frown on his face. _'So much for Jason being at the outpost,'_ he thought to himself. He tried a weak smile and said, "Just wanted to see the outside."

The big man didn't budge from his position and he easily prevented Tim from continuing into the room beyond. Even with his recent growth, Tim was badly outsized by Dell. Dell crossed his thick arms and made it clear Tim's plea to see the outside world be denied. Tim felt his narrow shoulders slump in disappointment. Mia, however, has completely unruffled by Dell's blockade. She passed Tim by and said in an excited whisper, "Make way Brother Dell, Mia coming through."

Dell glowered at the girl and put a large hand up to grab her. His attempt to stop her progress fell flat when Mia suddenly jumped to the side and bent her body back, her head nearly tilted back to look Tim in face upside down. She remained balanced on the stairs, her arms swinging out at odd angles to maintain her incredible poise. Dell's reach for Mia put him off-balance and he took a step to steady himself. He was about to try again to seize her when Mia's body snapped forward and she went into a low crouch. Dell's eyes went wide as she pounced and went between his legs. She bounded up the remaining stairs and disappeared into the room beyond.

Both Dell and Tim stood looking at each other, stunned by Mia's acrobatic ability. Dell blew an irritated breath out that bordered on a groan and turned to follow her. Tim now found his way clear and with a smile followed after them.

Inside the small office there were several old dusty lounge chairs positioned to look out the window to the street beyond. The Duck Blind severed as an observation post into the heart of the city controlled by the Souls. From this hidden vantage point the rebel cell of humans could watch the unaware Souls. Tim saw Mike was also in the room, staring at both him and Mia with a confused look. She walked over and plopped down in the chair next to him. The older man just shook his head in disbelief at Mia, who wore a wide grin on her on face.

Dell stomped over to her and said angrily, "What the hell are you doing?"

Mia put a finger to her lips and said in a low voice, "Shhh, Brother Dell. You know the rules."

Dell's dark skin somehow flushed darker, his jaw locked, and he closed his eyes. Tim saw him moving his lips faintly, perhaps in a frustrated prayer for patience. Mia smugly watched and after about twenty seconds Dell opened his eyes. He spoke in a low voice, his jaw barely moving, every word pronounced as though he was chewing iron. "You two sit here and be quiet. One word from either of you and I will toss you out this window and into the street below. Got it?"

Tim simply nodded and elected to sit in a chair farthest from Dell. Mia, who had obviously taken Dell's original seat, grinned and nodded. She also made no effort to move. Mike was now trying hard not to laugh and Dell made a low growling sound in the back of his throat. He walked over to another chair and sat down with enough force to cause dust to billow out of the old chair. Calm returned to small outpost and the four humans watched out the window a city full of aliens.

* * *

####

* * *

Marc sat on the old picnic table, looking out into the field beyond. He was sitting in a small park watching children playing. Not human children of course, the children he watched were all Souls. Each one a miniature adult as the small worm-like alien ran the adolescent body.

He sat alone on and so far none of the Souls in the park had taken notice of him. Marc knew this was dangerous to be out here on his own. Scott would be the first to tell him he was being an idiot for doing something so irresponsible; however Scott was grieving and hadn't said a word. Marc too was in silent mourning for Matthew and Sings from the Shadows.

A gas leak and a then a house fire had killed his two friends. Neighbors of the two Souls had first noticed smoke coming from the windows. As they moved to investigate and help, fire erupted from the house. By the time firefighters were on scene the house was burnt rubble. Two badly burnt bodies were found in the house. He had not listened to the details afterward as Healer Long Rivers and Comforter Benjamin explained the grim details. The Souls of the Quorum knew Matthew had been an ally to the humans, and whatever their personal feelings on his alliances, they expressed deep sadness over the loss. Even Seeker Skyward had offered words of regret.

Autumn Gusting Wind, and now Sings from the Shadows and Matthew. There were very few Souls Marc considered a friend and supporter, and he had lost almost all of them. He considered the strangeness of a human having a friendship with a Soul, something Marc assumed bordered on the impossible. How many other Humans would even think of trying to befriend the aliens who had conquered the planet?

As he sat there contemplating the Souls, he still felt a low anger at Seeker Bright Moon. He didn't really care she had discovered his past; it was her idiotic justification of the Souls takeover of the world. Using humans as little more than puppets and declaring they had _improved_ the human race.

Interrupting his thoughts a small voice said, "Excuse me."

Marc looked up and then had to look down. A small boy, no more than five or six stood a few feet from him. His dark hair stood out in contrast with his bright green eyes. The boy watched Marc, his eyes large in amazement, and said in a small voice, "You are Marc Walters."

Marc inwardly cringed, this likely wasn't going to end well, but at this point he didn't much care. He cleared his throat and replied, "I was last time I checked."

The boy mulled Marc's confirmation over and then surprised Marc by sitting down at the picnic table next to him. He looked up at Marc, the silver reflecting in his eyes from the sun, and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I had a bad day today, thinking about happier times…about the past." Marc sighed and pointed over to a low building across from the park. "I used to go to school over there a long time ago."

Surprise filled the small face. "I do too."

"Awesome, another Frances Warde boy." said Marc with a smile. He looked the boy over and asked, "What's your name?"

"My full name is Great Wings through the Silver Clouds," replied the little Soul. He straightened as he said his name and announced each word with care, as though he was reciting an important title.

Resisting an urge to poke fun at the long name, Marc considered the name carefully and the shrugged. "Can't place your name, sometime I can figure out where you guys lived from what you call yourselves."

"I was born on Dragon World, I lived six life terms on that world," explained Great Wings through the Silver Clouds with a touch of pride in his voice.

"Ahh...Can't say I know much about that world," said Marc. He thought about Seeker Nigel, a Soul child in the body of a man and the boy before him had a Soul who was likely born when the Roman Empire was around. How trivial and boring childhood would be to someone who had lived for thousands of years. Marc brooded on these facts as he sat with the Soul.

"So do you like Earth?" asked Marc, uncertain what else to ask.

Great Wings considered for a moment and answered, "It is very different from Dragon World. I like the colors and the smell of the air. But I do miss being able to fly."

"Little Gregory, where are you?" A young woman's voice sounded softly nearby. At the sound of the woman Great Wings through the Silver Clouds sighed and said, "My guardian, Thousand Petals, calls me Gregory."

Marc smiled at Great Wings' irritation at being renamed. He looked around for the source of the voice and saw a woman walking towards them. Her long dark hair blew around her in the light wind. He could tell right away Great Wings' human body was the son of Thousand Petals' host. Mother and Son bore a great resemblance to each other.

Thousand Petals stopped before them and smiled at her child, but when she looked at Marc she froze. She paled and said in a small, frighten voice, "Gregory come here right now."

Great Wings or Gregory nodded towards Marc, "Thousand Petals, this is Marc Walters. I have seen his picture on TV. We have been talking. He used to go to my school when he was young."

Thousand Petals nervously looked back and forth between Marc and Gregory. She regarded Marc as though he was a lion ready to pounce on her or her child. Marc coughed and said to the boy in even voice, "You should mind your mother. She's worried about you."

Gregory gave Marc a strange look but did get up and covered the distance to Thousand Petals. She immediately wrapped her arms around her child protectively and pulled him close. Squeezed against his mother Gregory said, "He isn't hurting anyone. He said he was feeling sad and was remembering better days."

Marc looked around and realized this little drama was beginning to attract attention. Several other Souls both young and old were approaching him. He sighed, so much for remaining low profile. Leaving would be the smartest option and the safest, but he felt a growing indignation. Why should he leave? He had been there first. He had not come to bother the Souls in any way, only take a few minutes to mourn his friends. Even this was impossible with the Souls.

He watched the small group of Souls form around him. Marc could hear them softly whisper between themselves:

" _Why is he here?"_

" _Marc Walters…isn't?"_

" _He said he went to school here."_

" _Someone should call the Seekers."_

Watching the small group of Souls grow, Marc resolved it was time to go. He wasn't worried about the Souls. They would not be able to stop him, even if they did try, which wasn't likely. Let them call the Seekers, he had them on a short leash with the secret of Soul removal. He was about ready to get up when a short man approached him and said gently, "When the disease came your medicine saved me and my partner, thank you for helping."

Taken off guard by the unexpected thanks Marc sat there stunned. The small crowd of Souls all watched him intently, waiting for him to respond. "You're welcome," he murmured. Satisfied the small man rejoined the crowd. They all continued to stare at him and Marc wasn't really sure what to do next.

Rescue from his indecision came from the Soul child Gregory, who had pulled himself from his mother and asked, "You said you had a bad day. What happened today?"

"I found out some of my friends died in a fire. He was a healer and his partner was a photographer. It was an accident, but still it's very sad," explained Marc with a heavy sigh.

"They were…one of us?" said an amazed member of the crowd.

"Yeah," said Marc with a half-smile, "I was friends with some Souls. Believe it or not."

"How?" asked several Souls at once.

Marc sighed and resettled himself on the picnic table. "Well, it's a long story. It begins with another Soul…called Autumn Gusting Wind."

* * *

####

* * *

Bright Moon sat at the table of the restaurant and tried hard not to fidget. She wore a white blouse and a long tan skirt. It wasn't clothing she normally wore and although it was loose and comfortable on her body she found herself constantly pulling or tugging on the material. Across from her Saffron was explaining the finer points of growing flowers in the soil of Earth.

"You see," he explained with small flourish of his hands, "you need to support a consistent pH level in the soil."

She nodded, although she wasn't sure she if she needed to or not. As Saffron talked her mind wandered and she found herself examining him. His body was young and firm, pleasing to the eye. Was physical attraction the only requirement for these human bodies? Or did it need something deeper, more profound? His short light blond hair stood out in contrast to his deeply tanned skin from working outdoors. His body was only average in height, shorter than Marc's.

A tight spot of anger welled in her at the thought of Marc Walters. She had done her best to forget their latest argument. She had tried to make him understand how Souls had improved and saved this world and as an unreasonable human he had gotten angry. His hurtful words and his casual dismissal of her entire race caused her jaw to tighten and her hands squeezed into fists.

Saffron interrupted her gently, "Bright Moon, is there a problem? You seem…distressed."

Bright Moon felt her face grow warm from embarrassment and she let out a shaky breath as she tried to dispel her frustration with Marc. She considered how to explain her problem, but wasn't sure how. Few Souls wanted to know about the life of a Seeker or their dealings with Humans. The ringing of her cell phone saved her from giving an awkward explanation.

"I'm so sorry," she told Saffron, "I told them to only call if it was an emergency." She picked up the cell phone and answered the call. A normally calm Seeker at the dispatch center began to explain in a rapid burst of words the situation. Bright Moon found herself growing confused.

"Wait, what did you say?" she asked as she found herself unable to believe what she was hearing.

"I apologize, Seeker Bright Moon on Fallen Snow," said the Seeker on the phone, "the situation is most distressing. I am reporting the human Marc Walters has taken a number of Souls hostage."

* * *

####

* * *

Agent Williams worked the controls on the video equipment and carefully reviewed the recorded video. The video was of an office building, one of hundreds in Chicago, and it didn't stand out in any way. But he knew what to look for and quickly found it. A small office window, between many others just like it, was the focus of his search.

A number of high-tech cameras monitored this one office and as Williams worked an enhanced view of the office began to resolve on screen. He could see two men sitting on old chairs; they sat watching the street below. Williams increased the magnification and he could see their faces. He clicked a control and began to record his notes.

"Subject on right is identified as Odell Watson. Male to his left is unknown, but assumed to be a member of Marc Walters's group."

Williams clicked off the voice recorder and paused the video stream. Marc and his little band of hold-outs were quite clever. This little hideout gave them a unique vantage point to see the parasites of the city. It would explain how they had been able to blend in so well with the aliens. But these hidden watchers were now themselves watched. A small grim smile started on Williams face as he began the video again.

As he examined the video, Williams saw the man named Odell stand up and go to the door of the office. Williams knew through their interrogation of Matthew the general layout of the room and the stairs behind it. Most likely someone else was coming to the small lookout. A moment later a girl ran into the room, confirming his suspicions. She was small and had features which clearly marked her as either Chinese or Japanese heritage. She must have been around twelve or thirteen.

Williams moved to start the audio recording again and stopped. The girl's image was frozen on-screen. Something about her pulled at a long-buried memory. He squeezed his eyes shut and fought a headache which just burst into existence, a deep pain right behind the eyes. Slowly he opened his eyes and focused on the girl. That girl…He knew her…he didn't know how but was sure they had met before.

Rewinding the video, Williams began to play the recording from the moment the girl ran into the room. He slowed the video down and ran it through the image processing software again. Now the girl displayed in near crystal clarity on the screen. Williams sat back in his chair and focused his mind…where had he seen her before?

A memory welled up in him, not a memory which explained his relation to the girl, but important nevertheless. Williams leaned forward and tapped the screen and said softly, "Mia Cheng, what are you doing here?"


	7. Understanding

"So I just held her, there was nothing I could do," said Marc softly. He took a breath to steady himself. Even so his voice came out with a choked sob, "At the end Autumn told me she had found happiness with me. Then she smiled and was…gone."

Marc stopped himself and whipped away a stray tear. For roughly the last hour he had retold the events of the plague from his perspective to the small group of Souls in the park. He had not planned on speaking about losing Autumn Gusting Wind; her loss was still very painful to him. But as he sat there explaining how he and the other humans had come to befriend her and then Sings from the Shadows and Matthew it became easier to talk about his loss. He supposed it was cathartic to talk about it out loud, an act of releasing the pain. He just never thought he would do it front of a random crowd of Souls.

Looking up Marc became shocked at what he saw. The entire group of Souls was softly crying. Some sat on the ground, like Gregory and his mother. Thousand Petals held her son to her tightly, both of them rocking back a forth gently while the tears fell. Others stood, holding each other while they cried. And all of them, through their weeping, gazed at Marc in open wonderment. He realized they had been completely enthralled by his story.

Faintly embarrassed he said unsteadily, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset everyone."

Thousand Petals cleared her throat and spoke softly, "So sad…and yet beautiful. To think a Soul and a Human could make each other so happy. You loved Autumn Gusting Wind, didn't you?"

"Yes," said Marc as he could feel fresh new tears. "She became…my…mother." He stopped and let the pain of losing two mothers, his biological and then his adoptive, wash over him. He had held it off for a long time. Now he let himself truly feel the pain. It felt like being hit by a ton of bricks, and tears fell freely down his cheeks. Slowly the pain retreated to a bearable level and he ran his hands across his eyes, wiping away the tears.

Again Marc looked up and saw all the Souls watching him. The small mob number about twenty Souls, most of them families with children and at least one adult, they had watched him cry over the loss of Autumn. In the beginning they had held their distance to him, still wary of the human among them. But as he had spoken to them they had slowly moved closer. Their fear of him was slowly dissolving away. Now some of them were with in arms reach, they smiled sympathetically with him, not a trace of fear in any of their faces.

"She was from the Singing World, yes?" asked a grey haired man in the back of the crowd.

"Yes, she was. Four life terms," explained Marc.

"I was too," explained the Soul. "When we mourned on that world, we would become silent and cut ourselves off from the songs until the pain of the silence out weight the pain of the loss."

Marc nodded, "I know, Autumn told me. She said it was hard to explain to me as a human what it was like on Singing World, the air-filled with constant songs. To stop singing for a bat was physically painful."

Gregory pulled himself up from his mother and closed the distance to Marc. His mother didn't seem to mind. Now the old Soul in the young child spoke up, "Marc, how do humans mourn?"

"Well," Marc sighed and rubbed his head. Not an easy question to answer, "We've got many ways. Depends on culture and religion mostly…" He trailed off as he thought about how his small family of humans handled losing one of their own. When Mary-Margret and Todd died they had been so busy escaping, little could be done. "Usually we would have a wake."

"A…wake?" asked Gregory. Several other Souls shared the child's confusion, but others seemed to understand Marc's meaning and nodded in agreement.

"It's kind of like a party, sort of a celebration," explained Marc with a small smile. "Not celebrating death, but of life. People would tell happy stories of the deceased, remember the good times."

"Will you have a wake for Autumn Gusting Wind?" asked Thousand Petals.

Marc blinked in surprise; he had not even considered this possibility, "I…don't know, I hadn't even thought about it."

"Can you tell us happy stories about Autumn?" asked Gregory. The small boy returned to his mother's lap and settled down. His small face expectant as he watched Marc.

Marc smiled and shook his head. For the differences of between Humans and Souls, both races seemed to love stories. He settled back and recalled a memory. He cleared his throat and began his story, "Well, you see the first time my friend Dell met Autumn, that was a funny story. Not for Dell mind you…"

* * *

####

* * *

Seeker Bright Moon on Fallen Snow marched down the sidewalk and turned on to the small field. With every step she took she found herself getting angrier. How dare Marc criticize and denounce her people and then turn around and take Souls hostage. Her gentle brethren embodied peace and harmony. What was he thinking? Was he insane? Or were all his overtones of peace a deception, only a way to lure her people into a trap.

She had left Saffron behind at the restaurant, apologizing repeatedly and explaining an emergency had come up at work and she had to go. He had simply smiled and said he understood. A small part of her realized she had said more to him when she excused herself than she had said the entire night.

The report stated Marc was holding the Souls hostage in a small park on the north side of the city. She had considered going home and changing, getting her Seeker uniform and equipment, but the urgency of situation forced her to respond immediately. Now she walked down the field and could see two black uniformed Seekers. They were standing about fifty feet from a large group of Souls who were clustered around one of the picnic tables in the park. She would have thought there would be more Seekers given the threat.

One of the Seekers saw her approach, his body a plain faced middle-aged man. She had seen him before, but couldn't remember his name, something Sharp Webs. He signaled her over and she stopped before him. The other Seeker was watching the group standing by the picnic table, but seemed to be only half interested in what was happening.

"What is our status?" she demanded of the first Seeker. "Why hasn't the area been sealed off so Marc Walter's can't try to escape or bring reinforcements?"

"Well," began the middle-aged Seeker looking a bit uncomfortable, "You see, I think there has been a bit of confusion here."

"What?" said Bright Moon sternly.

The other Seeker who watched the group of Souls turned and looked pointedly at the first. "Quartz Sharp Webs may have been a bit hasty when he reported hostages taken. As far as I can figure the human has not done anything hostile and is not restraining the group in any way." He glanced back at the crowd and continued, "We've been following protocol, do not engage the humans unless they become threating." He seemed bored by the entire affair.

"It is Marc Walters? He is over there?" She couldn't tell who was at the center of the crowd.

"Yes, ma'am," said Quartz Sharp Webs, still looking awkwardly at his fellow Seekers.

Her anger was giving way to confusion, what was Marc doing? If he wasn't harming her people, then why did the group of Souls stay? Determined to find out, she squared her shoulders and walked over to the small pack of people.

As she approached she could make out someone talking and she recognized it was Marc's. "…And then Dell comes in the room, covered head to toe in flour. All Scott and I could do was just stare." There was a quiet laughter from the crowd.

She passed by several people who were listening. One of them, and older woman, just shook her head and spoke softly to her companion, "Do you think he's telling the truth? You know humans lie." The old man she spoke to just shrugged, "Can't see why he would lie, what's he got to gain by it?"

Only becoming more confused she pushed her way through the crowd until she reached the picnic table. There, sitting on the table, was Marc Walters. Dressed as before, but instead of his angry scowl as she had last seen him, he was smiling pleasantly at the assembled Souls. He paused when he saw her. There was a silent moment while they both gazed at each other, but then he smiled and said to the crowd, "Ah, my Seeker."

For reasons Bright Moon couldn't explain she felt her face flush. She stammered out, "M…Marc w…what are you doing?"

"Having a pleasant conversation with these fine folk," explained Marc. Before she could respond he gestured to the group of Souls and said, "Everyone, meet Seeker Bright Moon on Fallen Snow." He then nodded to Bright Moon and said pleasantly, "Bright Moon on Fallen Snow, meet…" He shrugged and then continued, "Well I don't know everyone's name."

Bright Moon stared at the group of Souls in complete confusion. They all smiled at her and several people politely introduced themselves. She saw most members of the group where young families with children. All of them seemed unharmed and generally happy. After a minute she threw off her confusion and said the Souls in the crowd, "None of you are here against your will?"

Everyone including Marc looked at her in utter confusion. Bright Moon felt her face flush again and she hung her head. She began to feel very foolish. She had been so angry she had not thought her actions out, and had rushed over to the park, ready to confront Marc. Realizing she had acted recklessly while Marc had been calm and peaceful. Not for the first time she wondered how Marc, this wild human, could so easily affect her emotions.

Marc sensed her turmoil as he watched her stand before the crowd. He stood up suddenly and glanced at his watch. He smiled to a boy in the front of the crowd and said, "Great Wings through the Silver Clouds, it was a pleasure to meet you. Good luck in school and remember to listen to your mother." The boy nodded solemnly as Marc addressed the others in the crowd. "I really must be going, didn't mean to take up all your time."

Several of the Souls waved goodbye as Marc made his way out of the crowd, Bright Moon followed quickly after him. When he had gone out of earshot of the group he turned suddenly on her and asked in angry whisper, "Alright, what's going on?"

Bright Moon sighed; she didn't want to get into another argument with Marc. They had done enough arguing today. She spoke in a conciliatory tone, "I was given misleading information. I was at dinner when I was informed you had taken hostages."

Marc indignantly interrupted her, "What!?"

Bright Moon held up her hands and he continued to glare. She continued, "I know, I realize the error now, but beforeI was convinced you had gone and done something horrible…because of our…earlier argument."

Marc's anger and frustration with her slowly ebbed away as he stood with her. He looked up into the sky and closed his eyes. The sun was setting on the horizon and the waning yellow of the western sky cast his face in warm colors. Bright Moon found herself gazing at him, his features were very striking.

Marc opened his eyes and looked back down from the sky at her. His eyes were no longer angry when he looked at her. She smiled ever so slightly. This small moment of calm between them ended when Marc's eye brows knitted together and he looked her over with a confused stare.

"What are you wearing?" he asked.

"I was at dinner with a…friend when I was called," she answered hesitantly.

Marc's confusion remained, "A friend? Who?" Then his confusion dropped liked a stone and he said with a mix of surprise and amazement, "You were on a date!"

For the third time that night she felt her face flush. "Well…yes," she began but Marc continued as if he was talking to himself. "A date. You date? Wow, I didn't see that coming."

Flustered she replied unevenly, "Yes, we date. We Souls seek social and personal friendships just like you."

Marc waved his hand dismissively and said with a grin in his voice, "No...No, I know Souls date. I just didn't think _you_ dated, Miss Bright Moon who is a Workaholic."

She found herself rolling her eyes at his joke and decided to try to save herself from further humiliation by getting control of the conversation. "Marc, why did you come here? Why were you talking to the group of Souls?"

Marc's smile dropped off and he said plainly, "When I was little, my parents brought me to this park." He pointed to a building cross the street from the small park, "My mom would pick me up from school over there and we would meet my dad here for afternoon picnics." He sighed and looked very tired. "It's the one memory I still hold on to, that I let myself keep. I came to mourn losing Matthew and Sings from the Shadows. A little Soul noticed me…and it just snowballed from there." He looked back to Bright Moon and said softly, "Sorry I ruined your dinner."

Bright Moon began to reply, but stopped herself. Talking with Marc about his past had only angered him before and it had never been her intention to hurt him. Ultimately Marc had come here to grieve for two Souls, her own people. How many Souls would mourn for a dead human? She nodded slowly and smiled weakly at him. "I understand. What will you do now?"

For a long minute Marc stood looking into the setting sun and then he looked at his watch. He came to a decision and cast off his weary look. "Alright then, let's go," he said as he turned and began walking.

Bright Moon stood for a moment in confusion and then ran after him. She caught up to him and said, "What do you mean? Where are we going?"

"Well I can't go walking around here by myself. I'll start some type of panic. You know…dangerous rouge wild human causes mass chaos. You'll be my escort," he explained to her as they walked.

"But where are we going?" she asked.

"You'll see," he replied cryptically.

They headed north down the sidewalk and away from the small park. Marc walked along at a very even pace, courteously giving everyone else room on the sidewalk, and being careful at every intersection. Bright Moon realized he was walking along just as the rest of the Souls. He acted with complete confidence and if not for his human eyes no one would suspect he wasn't a Soul.

"You've done this before, haven't you?" she asked when they stopped at an intersection.

He nodded guessing her meaning, and said, "It's not that hard really. The key is to act like you belong there. Don't look devious or afraid or you'll stand out like a sore thumb."

Bright Moon pondered his words and then considered how he would hide his eyes. "Sunglasses? No, that wouldn't work all the time…" She broke off and then said excitedly, "Contact lenses! I heard of humans trying it before, it didn't work well for them." Marc looked sharply at her, a slight frown on his face. She continued, "Although given the time you've lived among us, you and your followers must have figured out how to do it successfully."

Marc shook his head and sighed, "Nothing gets past you Seeker Bright Moon."

She smiled to herself, pleased with her deductive skills. They now turned on to Madison Street and the large Chicago OTC train station came into view. Before there had been few Souls on the street, but now there were many more on the crowded sidewalk. Bright Moon gently caught Marc by the arm and stopped him. He looked down at her and she spoke hesitantly, "Marc, please tell me where we are going. What are you doing?"

"I need to show you something, it's not far," explained Marc. She looked skeptically at him, not certain if she should trust him or not. He pointed to the train station and said, "We'll get below, then you can stop worrying about me doing something to upset the populace."

Realizing the only way she would stop him at this point would be to call in reinforcements she reluctantly let go of him and they continued into the train station. As they entered Marc made an effort to keep his head down and he moved at a quick pace past the Souls in the lobby, even so Bright Moon saw several Souls reacting in surprise as they passed.

As they turned down a corridor an older woman caught sight of Marc and let out a cry of alarm. Bright Moon grimaced and held up her hands trying to calm the frightened Soul. "Don't be alarmed, I am escorting this human." She got no further because Marc abruptly pulled her along. They quickly turned down another hallway and he then pulled her into a supply closet and closed the door. The closet was small and with cleaning supplies taking up most of the space, room was tight. She found herself pressed up against Marc.

"Marc," she hissed, "we can't hide here in this closet. Let me go back and calm her down." She was trying to take a commanding tone, but found it difficult when he was right next to her. His arm still wrapped around her waist. His face was only inches away from hers. She felt herself go weak inside and fought for control over her suddenly very emotional body.

Marc grinned and said, "We're not hiding. Give me one sec." He let go of her and moved to the back of the closet. He picked up and pushed aside several boxes on the floor, revealing a drainage grate. He bent down and began to pull on the side of the grate. The grate looked like it was sealed to the floor and she was about to tell him to stop acting foolishly when the vent pulled up easily and revealed a narrow ladder going into a dim space bellow.

Bright Moon stared in amazement at the secret entrance. Marc gestured for her to take the lead and go down the ladder. She stood, uncertain of what to do. Marc apparently trusted her enough to show her one of the humans' hidden entrances to their tunnels. But she was uncertain if she trusted Marc enough to follow him into the underground.

"I promise nothing bad will happen to you. You'll be completely safe with me," said a shrewdly insightful Marc.

Bright Moon huffed at Marc, but her curiosity won out over her fears and she began down the small ladder into the dim tunnel bellow.

* * *

####

* * *

"Two rooms, please," said Burns Living Flowers and then smiled to the elderly man behind the counter. Beside him Wanda smiled as well, playing her part as Burns' partner. The two Souls had worked this little deception out before their journey began. Asking for two rooms was easier when there were together. Wanda had found she was much better at lying than Burns, who still hesitated when it came to telling a falsehood. If asked about the extra room, Wanda would easily explain they were traveling with friends and the other room was for them.

But so far none of the Souls they had met had even been remotely suspicious of the two and the Soul at this hotel was no different. He smiled as he handed over two room keys to Burns and said happily, "It will be nice to have someone here, so far you've been the only couple to come by today. It can be rather lonely here."

"I'm so sorry to hear that," said Burns truthfully. "Are you here by yourself?"

"Oh no, my partner Whisper Winds works with me. But it does me good to get some company out our way. If we don't get busy perhaps I can come by and visit, would love to hear about your travels."

Wanda did her very best to not cringe. They had picked this small hotel outside of Litchfield Illinois because it was so empty, much less chance of being noticed by anyone. But now this had back fired and Wanda felt herself starting to get anxious, her body becoming jumpy. Once again she found herself getting annoyed with her small fragile body.

Burns smiled and replied, "I would like that, if you're indeed not busy tonight I will stop by and we can talk."

They turned and exited out the front of the office and walked towards the van where the four humans waited for them to return. Burns sighed as they walked, "If the need arises I will talk with our curious innkeeper. I will tell him the rest of our party was fatigued and wanted to go to sleep early. I believe I can keep him away."

"You won't be uncomfortable lying to him?" asked Wanda.

Burns looked thoughtful and said, "I have many stories to tell which don't include smuggling humans through the countryside. I shall regale our lonely friend with these, no lying required."

"Thank you Burns, you've been so helpful on this expedition. I thought I did well when I was alone, but I'm finding it's easier when there are two of us working together," said Wanda.

"As do I," said Burns as they arrived at Nate's van. Nate was in the front seat, drumming his fingers nervously on the dashboard. He stopped when they came to the door of the van and asked, "All set?"

"Yes, we have two rooms, right next to each other," replied Burns. He pointed down to the end of the row of rooms. Nate made one careful survey of the parking lot and then opened the door and stepped out. In quick succession Ian, Melanie, and Lacey followed. They began covering the distance to the rooms.

Wanda stepped towards Ian. She had hoped to spend some time together tonight, possibly even alone if they could manage it, but Melanie intercepted her. She hooked arms with Wanda and pulled her along, Melanie's longer stride forced Wanda to nearly run to keep up with her.

Ian cleared his throat wanting to interrupt Melanie's sudden capture of Wanda, but Melanie cut him off. "Sorry Ian, this will be a girl's only room tonight," she said as she pointed to the door Lacey was already opening. Lacey started in surprise, looking back at both Wanda and Melanie. Wanda saw a certain gleam in Melanie's eyes and knew Lacey wasn't going to get out of whatever Melanie had planned. All three women were through the door before anyone could as much as blink. The door swiftly closed.

Nate, Ian, and Burns all exchanged confused looks. Nate shrugged with a shake of his head and said as he opened the other hotel room door, "Chicks"

Inside the other room Melanie released Wanda and then stood next to the door, as though she was guarding it. Wanda tried to discern what Melanie was doing but gave up and decided to simply ask. "Mel, what are you doing?"

"We," gestured Melanie to herself, then to Wanda, and finally Lacey, "are going to bury the hatchet once and for all."

Wanda understood the phrase, but still found the wording disturbing, as if a hatchet could be used to resolve differences without resorting to violence. But given the bizarre relationship which existed between her and the two human women, Wanda could see why Mel had chosen the saying. She let out a deep breath and crossed to sit down at on the bed. Wanda had a feeling this was going to take a while.

Lacey regarded Melanie darkly but said nothing. Since her breakdown at lunch she had said very little. Lacey had always been quite vocal, for almost any subject, and her silence in the van during the afternoon was unsettling. Lacey sat down on the other bed, while Mel remained standing at the door, acting as a self-appointed guard. Wanda remained on her chosen bed, motionless.

Lacey attempted the I-am-going-to-ignore-you stagey when she turned on the TV and tried to start watching a Soul soap opera. Melanie was having none of it and crossed to the TV in the hotel room and yanked out the plug from the wall. The TV went silent with a faint click.

"Nope, not happening," said Melanie with an edge to her voice. She approached Lacey and the other woman cringed for a moment, but then pushed herself forward and met Melanie's glare with her own.

"What do you want from me?" snapped Lacey.

"Anything," said Melanie. "Want to yell at me? Go ahead. Want to yell at Wanda? Go for it. Whatever you want to say, say it."

"Oh, I get to yell and scream some, and then we can all be friends, that the idea?" Lacey sneered at Melanie and then turned to Wanda. "That's what you want isn't it, for us all to be happy and friends with each other."

"Well…yes," said Wanda in a weak voice. Animosity towards anyone just wasn't in her nature.

"Wanda, shut up, you're not helping," said Melanie in a low voice. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly and tried a different track. "Okay, I get it. You're stuck, frozen in your own head, with another being controlling your body for years. It sucked. A lot. And you're pissed off because of it."

Lacey looked down, her jaw tightening and said something neither Melanie nor Wanda could hear. Melanie sat down at the end of Lacey's bed and asked quietly, "Sorry, didn't hear you."

"I said," came Lacey's heated reply, "I tried to be her friend." This caused both Melanie and Wanda to blink in surprise. Wanda had assumed Lacey had fought the Soul inhabiting her the entire time. After a moment Lacey continued in a softer tone. "I mean not at first, it was hard at first to even talk. Every time I did, she would freak out. After a while it got easier, but then she decided she would be a Seeker. Well," Lacey broke off for a moment and gave a wry smile, "that put a damper on an already rocky relationship."

"It was the same for me," said Melanie. "At first I was fighting to keep Wanda out of my memories. I couldn't really vocalize anything other than a lot of anger." She flashed a reassuring smile at Wanda.

"I tried to fight her, make her stop hunting humans, but all I seemed to do was make her more determined. So after a while I just tried to make peace with her. I mean, we shared the same head, and we really couldn't hide much from each other. But somehow that made it even worse." Lacey sighed wistfully, "I think we were driving each other insane."

Wanda felt very out-of-place in this conversation, as it was her kind which caused all this grief. A well of guilt was quickly forming in Wanda, all the pain Souls had caused humanity. She spoke up cautiously. "Lacey, the Soul who inhabited you was very young. You were her first host. She…didn't know how to handle you."

"You mean force me down, erase me," replied Lacey with anger in her voice.

"No…I…Sorry that came out wrong." Wanda paused to and tried again, "I mean she was like a child, and she only knew how to react in fear to you. She was told to take control of her host. Never in our history has a host species conscious continued on after we are inserted. She didn't know what to do."

Lacey looked at her and shook her head slowly, "What your kind does, it is so…horrible."

Wanda's head fell and she felt the beginning of tears form in her eyes. "I…know," said Wanda through a choked sob. She felt the bed shift as Melanie sat down next to her and pull her into an embrace. Wanda let out a deep shaky sigh in her sister's arms.

Lacey stared at the both of them, a slightly wistful look on her face. Her anger had subsided and she said softly, "There were times, especially after we came to San Diego after you or when we were hunting for you in the desert, when our thoughts kind of got blurred. Like it was hard to tell where her mind ended and mine began. Did that ever happen to you to?"

Melanie considered and answered, "When we were lost in the desert and dying. It was kind of like that."

"Whenever we were with Jamie," said Wanda simply. She felt Melanie's body nod in agreement.

"I thought we were going insane," said Lacey.

The three of them drifted off for a few minutes, lost in their own thoughts. After a while Melanie got up and got a glass of water from the bathroom. When she returned Lacey regarded her with open amusement and said, "So girls only huh? This going to be a sleepover were we talk about boys, paint our nails, and have a pillow fight?"

"Pillow fight?" asked Wanda. She dimly understood the concept from Mel's memories. Pet had never even thought about such an absurd idea before.

In answer Melanie suddenly grabbed a pillow from the bed and held it over her head, aiming towards Lacey in a threatening manner. Lacey regarded Melanie with mild exasperation and said sarcastically, "I'm trapped in a hotel room with an alien and an insane woman. Where did I go wrong in life?" Melanie's eyes narrowed and she began to swing her pillow.

"Mel, Lacey, please don't fight," interrupted Wanda. She disliked the possible violence, even if it was of the soft and fluffy kind. Her plea for peace was promptly ignored as Melanie pivoted and smoothly launched the pillow towards Wanda's head.

Fomp! went the pillow as it bounced off Wanda's springy blond hair. Wanda started in shock at her friend. "Mel," she admonished.

Melanie tapped a finger to her mouth and said in mock seriousness, "You know I didn't get to have much in the way of teenage sleepovers, you know cause of alien invasion and all. I figure you owe me one, Sis."

Wanda regarded the pillow thrown at her by Melanie. She picked it up and gazed at Melanie carefully. She felt a very odd mix of happiness and irritation with her human sister. "So if I hit you with this pillow, you will feel better?"

With a very broad smile Melanie nodded. Wanda saw Lacey just shake her head and roll her eyes, but she noticed Lacey was now also holding a pillow. They both regarded the instigator who no longer had a pillow of her own. To Wanda's surprise Lacey winked at her and turned to Melanie saying, "You're going down Stryder."


	8. Anticipation

Bright Moon on Fallen Snow stepped down carefully on the narrow damp pathway. Her dress shoes were not the right type of footwear for running around in the dark sewer ways below Chicago. She was regretting not changing out of her clothes into something more practical before confronting Marc Walters. But she had not counted on following him into the underground tunnels which made up his home.

After climbing down the hidden ladder in the train station she had found herself in an access tunnel running under the building. Marc had taken her through a complex set of twists and turns in these tunnels until they had dropped down into the narrow passageway she now carefully walked through. In front of her Marc briskly walked along. He navigated the slippery ground with easy. He knew exactly where to step on the ground to stop from slipping.

Bright Moon brought her foot down on a patch of cement she judged to be dry, but as soon as she stepped she realized she was mistaken. Suddenly her foot slipped and she found herself pitching forward. She tried to stop herself by grasping on to the walls, but her fingers skidded off their slick surfaces. Her balance gone and nothing to stop her, she fell. Everything happened so fast she couldn't even cry out. Dark dank dirty cement rushed up to meet her when two strong hands caught her and stopped her fall.

Marc firmly, but gently, pulled her back up and put her on solid ground. He looked at her apologetically. "Sorry, didn't really think about bring you down here in your current outfit." He paused as he studied her clothing and added, "I'm so used to seeing you dressed as a Seeker. Almost didn't recognize you when you walked up in the crowd."

Taking a moment to re-orientate herself she suppressed the urge to yell at Marc. She was growing annoyed with him for dragging her down into these tunnels. What ultimately stopped her anger with Marc was her irritation with herself for going along with him. She just grumbled a harsh sigh and said, "How much farther do we have to go?"

Marc was still studying her clothes and said absently, "Not too far now. We're right under the river in this part of the tunnel. It can be a pain to go this way."

She had not realized they were so far underground. "Under the river?" She said surprised and then asked with slight apprehension in her voice, "Is it safe?"

Marc shrugged and replied, "For the most part, sometimes it floods down here. Then you have to go the long way around or hold your breath."

Bright Moon tried to picture Marc or the other humans swimming through this dark tunnel in icy cold water, trying to escape from Seekers like herself and shuddered. She pushed those dark thoughts away and asked, "Marc, can you please tell me where we are going?"

"Can't really tell you, it's something you have to see to understand," he explained.

She started to argue when he interrupted her. "I think I've got a solution to your slipping." He paused and eyed her warily. "The only problem is I don't think you'll like it."

"What is it…" she began but was cut off again when he pulled her to him and scooped her up in his arms one smooth motion. She let out a cry of alarm, but by the time she did so she was securely held in Marc's arms. He was grinning a bit self-consciously at her. She gaped at his audacity and said fiercely, "Put me down."

"Sorry, this way is better. We can move faster, you won't slip, and you won't mess up your pretty dress," he explained as he began walking. She glowered at him and he blushed further, but didn't let her go. "I've carried you before," he said as a gentle reminder.

Bright Moon considered this, remembering when she had woken up in the hospital while the plague raged. Brought on by exhaustion and the disease, she had collapsed and Marc had carried her to a bed in the hospital. He had done this when only days before they were both ready to kill each other. Now she found herself carried by the same wild human who had been her enemy for months.

She gazed up at him as he walked. His eyes we focused on the path before them, but her added weight didn't seem to bother him in the least. Marc was tall and well-built, but his body wasn't bulging with huge muscles. She remembered his condescending talk to Seeker Twice Fires, how muscle strength alone did not allow one to achieve victory. Marc's ability to endure and continue on after losing so much made carrying her body a small ordeal. Endurance, that was Marc's true strength, she decided as he carried her along. Caught up in this strange but ultimately comfortable ride Bright Moon almost didn't hear his next words.

"I'm sorry," he said faintly. When she grew confused he elaborated "I'm sorry I called you and the other Souls empty." He was looking down at her now. His expression, already hard to see in the dim light, was impossible to read.

Uncertain on how to respond, Marc continued before she could reply. "Don't get me wrong, I'm not Mary-Margret, I'm not forgiving you for what you did to us. But…" He trailed off and she could see he was trying to find the right words to convey his meaning, "I don't think anyone has the right to judge a whole race and declare it as all good or all evil, worthy or unworthy. An entire race is just too big to make such generalizations. I don't believe you Souls have the right to judge us." He stopped walking and carefully put her down. Bright Moon realized they had come to the end of the narrow tunnel and were now at the bottom of some very old and creaky stairs. Marc sighed and then pointed to himself, "So what did I do? Well I went and did the same thing. I judged all Souls everywhere as a bunch of empty fakes. I shouldn't and I was wrong."

Bright Moon stood very still and felt as though the world was suddenly spinning around her and Marc. The two of them, Human and Soul, surrounded by a world full of confusion, fear, distrust, and anger. His apology pushed the spinning madness away and she found herself grateful. But she had her own apology to give and nodded slowly and said quietly, "I'm sorry too Marc, I didn't mean to be so…insensitive about your parents' death. I had no right to tell you our way was better."

Nodding as well, Marc smiled and Bright Moon found herself returning it. She realized she was blushing, but she didn't mind. He gestured to the stairs going up and said, "Shall we go?"

She stopped him before he started on to the first stair and asked with trepidation in her voice, "Marc, are you taking me to where your people are hiding?" She had begun to wonder if this was their destination when he brought her into the labyrinth of tunnels. Did he trust her with such information?

Shaking his head, Marc smiled with faint amusement. "Sorry, no. You don't get access to our secret clubhouse. He considered as he started up the stairs, "Maybe one day, Bright Moon, I'll let you in on our big secret." Bright Moon found she was faintly disappointed, and not for the reasons she would have thought. The idea of turning the humans' location to her fellow Seekers was furthest in her mind. Her own curiosity was growing and she quickly followed Marc up the stairs.

The stair case was old and looked like it wouldn't take much to knock it over, but it was sturdier than it looked and they made quick progress. Marc glanced at his watch and said to Bright Moon as he quickened his pace, "Yeah you're going to be wishing you had brought better shoes."

"How was I supposed to know I was going to follow you around the city," replied Bright Moon with a huff as she matched Marc's speed.

"Don't Seekers have a motto like – always be prepared or at least always ready to chase humans?" asked Marc.

Bright Moon reflected as she climbed, "I don't think we have a motto." She wondered if it was odd to not have one. She had never truly thought about it and she asked, "Do you have one?"

"Duh, of course we do," said Marc. The stair ended and a hallway continued for a short way until it stopped at an old shabby green door. Marc opened the door and Bright Moon found they were in an old boiler room which appeared unused for decades. Marc maneuvered them through the old equipment until they reached another old green door. If it wasn't for a lack of a door knob, she would have sworn this was the same door. Marc gave the door a hard push and it begrudgingly opened. Bright Moon grimaced when she saw another flight of stairs going up.

"Well, what is it?" she asked as they climbed the second set of stairs.

Unlike the first set of stairs, this one was much nicer and a good deal cleaner. It was still old and looked as if it wasn't traveled much. As they turned and Bright Moon looked up she realized the stairs were also shorter than the last set. A large wooden door stood at the top of the stairs. Marc finished climbing and turned back to watch her catch up. She realized she was panting slightly while Marc was seemingly unfazed.

Grinning Marc answered her, " _You don't have to be crazy to be one of us, but it sure helps_. I would have thought you would have guessed it." Bright Moon felt her eyes roll as he said it. He then opened the wooden door, which moved easier than the one behind them and they walked through.

It was the last place Bright Moon believed would be their destination. They stood in a lobby of a hotel. The lobby was small and dimly lit with dark aged wood making up the walls and the ceiling and a dark red carpet completed the floor. She could see to the outside street through a thick glass door. Above the door a sign hung which read, _"Thank you for staying at the Hotel Rose"_ She was still looking around, stunned Marc would bring him to such a place, when a quiet voice interrupted.

"Marc, is that you?"

Bright Moon spun around, surprised to see a round-faced man who was nearly bald but had a neatly trimmed white beard. She had missed him before because he was sitting behind large wooden counters which nearly hid his entire body. He was looking in their general direction, but his gaze fixed on the far wall. She had a feeling he didn't see Marc or herself.

Marc cleared his throat and said quietly, "Yes Dashing Songs, it's me."

The man turned towards Marc, his eyes still unfocused. Bright Moon approached and the small man cocked his ear in her direction. He asked gently, "Who is your friend Marc?"

Marc introduced her "Dashing Songs, please meet Seeker Bright Moon on Fallen Snow. Bright Moon meet Dashing Songs, manager of the Hotel Rose."

Surprise filled Bright Moon when she realized she could make out the faint glimmer of silver in the man's eyes, but the eyes never once focused on her. His name implied he was from the Singing World, but his behavior for a Soul was odd.

"Seeker?" said Dashing Songs with a hint of apprehension. "Marc, is something wrong?"

Bright Moon continued to stare, perplexed by the small man. Marc answered, "No Dashing Songs, we were just on the way to the roof. Sorry to interrupt you." Marc guided her over to a very old elevator, which sat waiting for use. As they stepped inside, they could hear Dashing Songs voice, "Oh, off to see the sunset, well that's good. Have fun."

Pressing the button for top floor, Marc pulled the old door closed and after a long delay the elevator began to rise with a lurch. Bright Moon blinked and then did it again; she felt very confused and was sure she was missing something important. She shook her head and looked around the small elevator. It was only big enough to support at most three people, and given its slow climb she felt three people in cab would be unwise. There was a small sign above the elevator's controls which read _"Sorry - Floors 2 through 4 closed for repairs and maintenance."_

Bright Moon closed her eyes and asked Marc as she slowly rubbed her temples, "Could you possibly explain," she gestured towards the unseen lobby, "what's going on?"

"Oh, you mean Dashing Songs?" Marc looked faintly amused, "Well, you see, his host body is blind."

"Well yes, I figured that out myself," said Bright Moon. "But why doesn't he see a healer? I'm sure they could correct the problem."

Marc shrugged, "He doesn't want to. He likes being blind. I guess being a bat made him appreciate sound over sight."

Such odd behavior for a Soul thought Bright Moon. It was a Soul's duty to take good care of their host bodies. They stood in silence as the elevator continued to slowly rise. A question occurred to her and she asked Marc. "Does he know," as she gestured at Marc's eyes.

"It's never come up," replied Marc. "I found the old stairway in the tunnels and followed it up. Came across Dashing Songs and he just assumed I was a guest at the hotel. I never bothered to correct him."

Uncertainty crept into Bright Moon's voice, "And you never took advantage of his blindness?" She wasn't sure how she felt about Marc lying to this unfortunate Soul.

Marc placed his hand over his heart and said in a mock serious voice, "I, Marc Walters, a simple human, swear I never took advantage of Dashing Songs without his knowledge." He grinned but then grew solemn. "Bright Moon, I'm serious, I never did anything harmful to anyone here. Trust me, just because he's blind, Dashing Songs is not helpless. He knows every inch of this hotel and takes care of most of it on his own."

The elevator finally lurched to a stop and Marc pulled open the door. Marc looked down at his watch and frowned. "We'll need to hurry," he told her as they exited the elevator. Only dull grey-green walls and the same faded red carpet from the lobby made up the hallway. Apparently the top floor saw little use. They headed towards a steel door with a small red sign above it marking the exit.

Bright Moon remembered Dashing Songs words from before and asked Marc with both mild confusion and irritation, "You brought me all this way to show me a sunset?"

Marc paused at the exit to the roof and gave her his classic grin, the same one he used when he was both trying to amuse or annoy her. "Oh Bri, it's much more than a simple sunset," he said as he pushed open the door.

Bright Moon followed Marc out on to the roof, wondering what had possessed her to follow this half-mad wild human up to the top of a building run by a strange blind Soul. She didn't know much of the Hotel Rose building, but it appeared older than the newer buildings around it. They exited on to the roof and she saw a skyline filled with taller and more modern buildings. How would she see the sunset if it was blocked by all these buildings?

Turning around Bright Moon intended to ask Marc just what type of joke he was playing when she stop short. The vision before her instantly pulled her to another world and another life. She was on the Mist World and the giant sun of that world was setting on the horizon. Its light lit up the huge ice spires of the second crystal city. A rainbow of colors growing from bright yellows to warm auburn and then to deep hues of red spread through the city of the bears as the huge orange sun sank slowly behind mountains of rock and ice.

Her hands went to her mouth and Bright Moon gave a cry of amazement and unexpected joy at the sight. She blinked and looked again. The sun wasn't reflecting off ice, but the glass and polished steel of towering buildings around her. The sun in the sky was Earth's smaller yellow sun, but as it sunk to the west the effect was a miraculous replica of sunsets in the crystal cities of her birth.

Marc turned to her and smiled gently, "So…do you like it?"

"It's…beautiful!" she cried. She lowered her hands from her face and with an effort turned away from the cascading colors of the sunset. She whispered to him, "How?"

"Nothing fancy really, just a matter of being in the right place at the right time," replied Marc. He turned and gestured to the buildings around them. "See if you're on the ground you can't see it, the shadows from the buildings block it out. And if you are up too high in the buildings the sunset shows up as nothing but glare."

"But…How did you know? It's just like the sunsets on the Mist World," asked Bright Moon.

"Well I know my city, and I know all the hidden spots. But I'll share credit to a set of Souls who I overheard talking about the sunsets on the ice world of yours. I just made an educated guess about how it would look." Marc said as he smiled with a shrug. Then he turned faintly embarrassed, "I kinda wanted to show it to you for a while now. With your name I figured you came from that world, right?"

"I did," said Bright Moon slowly. "I was born there actually, lived three lives before coming here. I never thought I would see such sights again." She found herself wiping away a stray tear as she turned back to the setting sun.

Marc stood beside her as they both watched the colors of the sunset, already darkening to hues of blues and purples, and said in a warm whisper, "I'm glad you like it, Bright Moon on Fallen Snow."

* * *

####

* * *

Burns Living Flowers reentered the hotel room he shared with Nate and Ian with a very perplexed look on his face. Nate and Ian were attempting to watch some TV, but found a good deal of it either hopelessly boring or too confusing to follow. Nate looked up at his friend and asked, "So what's going on over there?" He made a slight gesture to the wall, indicating the room Melanie, Wanda, and Lacey shared.

"They were hitting each other with pillows…even Wander. I was then told because I wasn't a female I had to leave," explained Burns as he sat down on the bed. Nate stifled a laugh as he listened. Ian just shook his head.

"Well," said Nate as he flipped channels on the TV, "as long as they don't get too loud. I figure it's better to work whatever their problems out now than when we get to Chicago."

"By hitting each other with pillows?" asked Burns with a slight frown.

Nate considered how best to answer his friend who didn't always understand his human friends. "Remember when Kim and Rachel were fighting. You tried to get them to make up and I told you it was a really dumb idea to get in between those two."

The tall redheaded Soul flopped back in the bed and covered his face with his hands and faintly groaned, "Don't remind me. I've never seen Rachel or Kim so angry with me."

"Same thing here, they just need to work it out themselves. Remember what ended up helping Kim and Rachel make up?" asked Nate with a small smile.

Burns uncovered his face and recalled the memory. "Well I hope those three won't need to do something as rash," he said with a sigh.

Curious Ian asked, "What did they do?"

Burns groaned again and Nate chuckled and then began to explain, "Well those two decided they were going to go on a raid, by themselves. Didn't tell Burns and he nearly worked himself into a heart attack worrying about them. Then the two of them come back laughing and the best of friends again."

"What did they do on the raid?" asked a disbelieving Ian.

"Don't know, don't want to know," replied Nate. Burns added, "They said they need a ladies night out." Burn pulled himself up and looked thoughtful at his human friends, "Human women are very odd sometimes."

Both Ian and Nate burst out laughing, after a moment Burns started as well. After calming down Nate rubbed his eyes and turned back to the TV. He changed the channel a few more times, hoping for something interesting to watch. Finally he stopped on a channel which appeared to present the Souls' version of a game show. It would, of course, not be played for money and the contestants had the habit of helping each other out with the questions, much to Nate's dismay.

Something had caught Ian's eye on the last channel and he asked Nate to change it back. Nate did so and Ian recognized the show as a news program. Two reporters were gently discussing recent events. After reporting on two recently immigrated Souls who found each again after living on separate planets, both anchors began discussing recent events in Chicago and Ian began to listen closer.

"We will be discussing a most popular topic of late," said the first reporter, "The humans who helped cure the plague affecting the city of Chicago. We will be bringing you new information on the supposed leader of these wild humans."

Burns, Ian, and Nate all promptly focused on the TV

The second reporter began, "We do need to warn viewers at home, some of the video we will show could be considered disturbing. Please, we don't want to upset anyone, so please turn the channel if you feel you don't want to watch."

"Hard hitting news team there," said Nate dryly.

A picture of a young man was displayed on the screen. He had dark brown spiky hair and soft brown eyes…human eyes. The first reporter began, "On screen you will see the picture of the human named Marc Walters. Many of you will recognize him from pictures distributed by the Seekers. Only recently we learned he lead the humans during the outbreak."

Ian guessed this Marc Walters was no older than himself. "Interesting," he spoke out loud. Nate quickly shushed him.

The picture of Marc Walters was replaced by video. The recording had been made with a night vision camera and video was filled with a green-black grainy background. The second reporter chimed in, "This recording was released by the Seekers recently. The video was recorded nearly a year ago, it was one of the first confirmations wild humans were hiding in the city. We believe it's the first video recording of Marc Walters."

It was hard to tell exactly where the camera was recording; the only light source came from off-screen to the right. Ian had a feeling the recording was of the top of a building, but couldn't be for sure. The video continued and Ian was wondering if the Souls were jumping at shadows, nothing seemed to be happening when he saw movement.

Something low and dark slipped through the shadows. Even with the night vision the shape was hard to see, just a dark specter. It drew closer and the figure resolved as a tall man. He wore black clothing, like a Seeker's uniform. But unlike a Seeker, the black clothing went from head to toe and was design for stealth and ease of movement. The figure paused and looked right at the camera, Ian realized it was indeed Marc Walters. And he didn't seem happy about the camera

An angry voice said, "Well what do we have here?"

To Ian surprise he heard the voice of a woman and looking again on-screen he could just make out a second form in the video. "It's got to be from that Seeker Bright Moon."

"Alright then", said the first voice which Ian assumed was Marc Walters', "We'll just have to do something about this." He reached towards the camera and the video cut off abruptly.

The first reporter spoke in grave manner for a Soul, "We warn you the following video is quite disturbing, please take care when watching it." Ian and Nate exchanged glances, both wondering what these humans would do in retribution.

The second video started, it was during the day and Ian's focus drawn to three men dressed in Seeker uniforms tied to a telephone pole. They were still alive as he could see them trying to escape, but they were held securely…by Christmas tree lights. Large strands of twinkling lights wrapped around the three Seekers and held them securely. A sign hung on a Seeker which read, _"Don't open till Christmas"_

Ian, Nate, and Burns all exchanged stunned looks, all of them speechless.

"Now…" said Marc Walters. He appeared to be the one operating the camera and addressed one of the Seekers. The Soul tried to cringe away, clearly frightened, but was held tight by the Christmas lights. "…here is how this works. You leave us alone, we'll leave you alone. I've never tarred and feathered someone before, but if you Seeker twits keep coming I'll give it a try." Then the video cut off.

Ian had never seen such an attack on Seekers before. The boldness was only outweighed by the bizarreness. Burns glanced to Ian and then Nate, clearly still shocked. Beside him Nate began to laugh out loud. His laughter filled the room and then he finally wheezed out, "We've got to meet this guy."

* * *

####

* * *

* * *

Alex cursed as his papers slipped out of his grasp and spilled all over the polished stone floor. He sighed and bent to collect his papers, he'd been running and they had gone flying from his grasp when going around the corner. As he picked his remaining papers off the floor he looked to a nearby clock and saw it was already 1500. He was late for his meeting and knew Major Ashby would be angry.

Trying to save time he rose and crossed into the adjacent hallway. His shortcut quickly brought him to an intersection and he turned to his left. He only needed to go a short distance before he was in the medical ward. Most people at the Installation avoided this area of base, too many bodies and too many failures for most people's' stomachs. But Alex never feared or loathed these rooms. These rooms were also the site of miracles and if they were lucky the future of humanity. As he walked the other reason for his wish to travel this way came into view.

"Alex," said Susan with a smile on her face as she saw him enter the medical center. Alex returned her smile and looked her over. She wore the same frayed surgical scrubs as the other medical staff. They hadn't been able to get replacements in years. Her sandy blond hair tied back into a tight bun which she hated, but Alex always considered it her most striking feature. She was only five years older than him, but the stress of the last few years made her look as though she was more than ten. But it didn't matter; she captured his heart like no one before.

He bent to kiss her, but she pulled away giving him a disapproving stare. "Not while I'm on duty, the Doctors will have a fit if they see us together," she whispered.

Alex sighed, "And I'm late, when does your shift end?"

"Just after 1900," she replied. She gave him a knowing look, "Want to meet in my room or yours?" Her face fell when she saw him frown. "Don't tell me you have to work?"

"I do," he lied. Alex hated lying to Susan but there wasn't any way he could explain his recent evening activities to her. He scarcely knew how to explain it to himself. But they were important, more important than Susan or himself.

Susan sighed but nodded in understanding, "Being the assistant to Major Ashby is an important job."

Alex tried very hard to keep his voice from rising in anger, "I hate being that man's assistant. All he ever does is set at his desk all day, reading reports and giving orders. He's completely out of touch with what's going on."

"Alex, don't talk like that," said Susan in harsh whisper. She was about to say more when a shrill beeping came from one of the nearby medical stations. Susan crossed to the station and looked at the displays. A doctor, a tall craggy faced man, raced in from a nearby room and snapped urgently, "Nurse, I need you now. We have a cerebral hemorrhage in Subject 72."

Susan immediately followed after the doctor and disappeared into a surgical bay. Alex kept his distance but followed after them. He wasn't exactly authorized to enter when a Recovery was being performed, but being the assistant to the man in charge of the Installation did have its perks.

Alex stopped at the entrance to the small room making up the surgical bay and looked in. The room was filled with an array of medical devices, not all of them built by human hands. A complicated set of wires and tubes led from the machines into the body of a man lying on the steel table. Alex found his eyes drawn to the man's head, it was shaved and part of the skull removed. He could make out the brain of the man, connected to much of the rooms equipment. There Susan and the Doctor were focusing their efforts to control the bleeding.

Both nurse and surgeon were experts at these operations. They had performed so many. Within a minute they had stopped the bleeding and the Doctor continued with his recovery process. Alex caught Susan's attention and gave her a warm smile and she returned a faint one of her own. She would be busy for next couple of hours assisting the Doctor and Alex was already late. He paused giving the man on the table one more look. Although Alex knew he was too far from the man to really see, he could swear he saw the thin silver threads running through the man's exposed brain. Alex felt his skin crawl at the thought and hastily turned to continue to his meeting with Major Ashby.

Arriving nearly ten minutes late at the Major's office Alex saw Ashby was sitting at his desk and was on the phone. The Major looked up and gave Alex a very sour look but said nothing. Alex meekly sat down at the desk and began reorganizing his papers. He watched Ashby listen to the phone call, the Major said nothing and gave away no emotion on his face. However when Ashby completed his call a tight smile formed on his face. Alex felt himself relax; the Major had received good news and would be overlooking his tardiness.

Major Ashby's tight smile had grown into a wide predatory grin, "Well Alex, mark your calendar. In three days the fireworks start."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Well we've finally got name to our mystery leader and assistant from the first story. I had planned to introduce them a bit earlier, but I'm finding juggling multiple story lines to be a bit taxing. Alex is going to be a very interesting character in the future. And starting next chapter I'll be condensing story lines and our characters are going to start meeting up (and not all of them friendly encounters).
> 
> Please read and review, thanks!
> 
> -Walker.


	9. Descent

"First time to Chicago?" asked Nate as Ian peered out the van's window. The buildings of downtown Chicago grew larger as they made their way up Lakeshore Avenue. On the right Lake Michigan sparkled in the early Saturday afternoon sun. Around Nate's van a sea of slowly moving cars and trucks made their way into the city along the highway.

Ian pulled away from window, he sat with Nate in the back seat and the tint of the window prevented anyone from the outside to get a look at the van's occupants, so there was little risk for him. "No," replied Ian, "When Kyle and I were in high school we played an intramural soccer championship one weekend at Northwestern University. Got to see a little of the city, would have gotten to see more but Kyle got busted breaking curfew, ended up spending the rest of the weekend confined to the dorms."

"Sounds like Kyle," said Melanie from the middle seats where she sat with Lacey. The two women were helping to give directions for Burns as he drove into the increasingly busy highway.

"Ian?" asked Wanda from the front passenger seat.

"Yes, hon?" answered Ian.

She turned enough in her front seat so she could just peer over her seats head rest. She gave him a puzzled look. "So if Kyle was breaking curfew, why were you punished?"

Ian sighed to himself; he had walked right into that one. "Well…I was with him when he broke curfew…"

"Ahh," said Wanda in understanding. "Just what were you O'Shea brothers up to when you broke the rules?" She smiled as she good-naturedly chastised him.

"Umm…well," started Ian, suddenly red-faced. There was a chorus of laughter from Melanie and Wanda, and Ian though he heard Lacey chuckle as well. Nate gave him a playful smack on the shoulder as he leaned in and asked in a whisper, "It was for a girl, right?"

"Yeah," confirmed Ian still fighting to not blush further. He thought back to those simpler days of high school and college. Before people started changing, before the fighting started, and before he and Kyle had gone on the run. "Feels like I was here life times ago," he said quietly as he looked back out the window.

"It was so much grayer and colder when I was here," said Wanda quietly as she looked out her window. "I didn't care for it much, I was eager to leave." She watched Lake Michigan glitter in the sun and added, "It is pretty, but I still love our desert best."

Burns addressed Lacey as he drove, "You still believe our best shot at entering these tunnels is at the Randolph Station?"

"I don't know if it's the best place, but its easiest one I know of to get in to the tunnels. Assuming the Seekers haven't sealed it off," answered Lacey.

Ian considered how they were going to travel through a busy train station filled with Souls, not an easy task. He thought back to the Soul news program he had watched the night before, and a question popped into his head, "Lacey, as a Seeker did you ever meet this Marc Walters?"

Lacey frowned, not liking to recall such memories, but paused in concentration for a few moments before answering, "I don't think so. The name never came up during any of our searches. But in the beginning I might have met him…" Lacey drifted off as she remembered, Ian could see she was reliving some painful memories. He considered tell her to forget about the question when she started again. "There was a time…back when the city was still being taken over that fighting broke out between the Seekers and the remaining human population. It wasn't pretty, the fighting got really bad on the south side of Chicago. The fires…and the screams." She fell silent and shuddered in her seat.

Silence consumed the inside of the van and Ian spoke as gently as he could," I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

Lacey let out a shaky sigh and replied, "No, its fine. I've needed to deal with this sooner or later."

"Let's just hope we don't run into any of your old colleagues," said Nate.

"Ohhhh, trust me," said Lacey smiling without any humor, "that's the last thing I want to do."

Burns turned the van on to an exit ramp and proceeded down off the highway and on to Randolph Street. Here the traffic was lighter and they moved faster down the street than the slow crawl of the highway. But the red-headed Soul still kept the van well below the speed limit. Ian saw the sidewalks were full of people all moving about. Looking out the window it was easy to forget they were all Souls.

Melanie must have thought the same thing as Ian when she spoke next, "I don't see how they did it. How do you hide in a city full of Souls?"

"Well if we can find this Marc guy, we'll ask," said Nate.

Burns slowed to stop at an intersection and shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He spoke tentatively tone, "Hopefully Marc and his people will be friendlier to Souls who aren't Seekers. The program from last night portrayed him as…unbalanced."

Nate replied with dry humor, "Burns you can't believe everything they put on TV."

The tall Soul looked non plus at his friend and asked, "We wouldn't lie about it. The videos shown were not fabricated."

"I'm not saying they were, just that the videos only showed the Seekers' version of events. They might have left off a few details," answered Nate. Then after a pause he added with a laugh, "And you got to admit it's pretty funny what he did to those Seekers."

The light turned green and Burns began to drive again. He looked to Wanda and shook his head in exasperation while saying, "Human humor." She smiled but also nodded in agreement.

Randolph station loomed large on their left and they slowed as Burns looked for a suitable parking space. Just a few buildings past the station stood a large parking garage and Ian could see it was only half full of cars. "Wanda and Burns, how about the parking garage over there?" he said, pointing to the large grey building.

"Yes, that will do nicely," replied Burns as he steered the van towards the garage's entrance. They pulled into a small line of vehicles waiting to enter. A middle-aged woman sat in a small booth and operated the gate allowing the cars to enter. Ian watched her as she let one car through at a time. When it was their turn, Ian had to fight an edge of fear as Burns rolled down the driver's window and the Soul with light brown hair with streaks of grey leaned into the car.

"Hello," she said in a soft musical voice. "Lovely day isn't it? What brings you down town?" She smiled happily as she looked at Burns.

"We are with our friends to see the city," said Burns returning her smile.

"Well I'm glad to have you visit us," said the Soul as she handed Burns a ticket. "Please keep this ticket and return it when leaving the garage."

"Thank you, we will," replied Burns as he took the ticket. The Soul pressed a button and the gate rose and they passed slowly through. Ian relaxed and let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding. Beside him Nate did as well. Burn continued into the garage until he found a spot clear from other parked cars and pulled to a stop.

"Well we made it," said Melanie. She had already unbuckled her seat belt and began stretching her arms. Ian knew how she felt. They had spent the better part of three days in the van and Ian was itching to be free of the confining space. But first things first, he reached into his front shirt pocket and pulled out his pair of sun glasses. He saw Nate, Lacey and Melanie do the same. Putting the sunglasses on Ian hoped the four of them wouldn't stick out too badly in a crowd.

Stepping out of the van Ian stretched and pulled his back muscles till he felt a soft pop. It felt good to stand up after sitting for so many hours. He rolled his head back and forth, feeling the tension in his neck work its way out. Satisfied he turned to see Wanda watching him, a small smile on her pale face.

A bit self-consciously Ian asked, "What?"

"Nothing," said Wanda as she took his hand in hers, "just enjoying looking at you."

"Jeez you guys act like you're on a weekend romantic getaway," said Melanie as she adjusted her sunglasses.

Ian watched Wanda blush. She was jumpy and excited, her body giving off a nervous energy. He had seen her like this before raids, when her eagerness to begin could drive her to distraction. Ian squeezed her hand gently and felt her relax. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly to calm herself. She waited till Nate finished helping Burns pack some supplies and then addressed their little band of explorers.

"Ian and I will go first," began Wanda, "then Lacey and Melanie, and with Nate and Burns following. Remember the Souls will not suspect anything if you stay calm and don't do anything to stand out."

They all nodded in agreement and began to walk towards the exit to the street. As they approached Ian felt his own nervous tension rise. It felt very much as though he was riding a roller coaster, being slowly pulled to the top of the first drop. He felt as though his stomach was going to drop out as they approached the bright sunny sidewalk, full of unassuming Souls. Wanda gave him a reassuring squeeze of her own and Ian forced himself to relax.

Stepping on to the sidewalk Ian's first impression was how normal it felt. Crowds walked along on the sidewalk, cars and buses moved down the street, everything seemed to be very human about the city. Not until they stopped at a cross walk that Ian began to notice it. Although the city was busy with activity, there was an odd softness to the sounds. Everything seemed somehow subdued. No sounds of horns from the cars. People on the sidewalk talked, but in soft even tones.

As they crossed the street Ian began to feel as though everyone walked in lock step. A quick glance around and he confirmed his suspicion. All the Souls walked along in nice even columns, neither to fast nor slow. Wanda had instinctively picked up on the motion and moved along with the other Souls without a problem. Allowing her to set the lead, Ian kept himself moving with the rest of the crowd.

Everything was fine until they came to the second cross walk. They were nearly to the Randolph Station entrance and Ian found himself eager to get out of this strange march. He and Wanda had stopped at the cross walk when the light changed and stood in front waiting to cross. When the traffic had finished and the street cleared, Ian stepped down and began to cross. A sharp squeeze from Wanda's hand stopped him suddenly. Looking back he saw her wide-eyed and she silently mouthed the word "No".

Only Ian had stepped out into the road, all the other Souls still stood waiting on the sidewalk. Ian stepped back on to the sidewalk quickly confused about what he had done wrong. Then with a cold slap of fear he realized his mistake. Although the street was clear, the crossing light had not changed. Of course the Souls wouldn't cross until the light changed. Now Ian found himself the center of attention in the group of Souls.

Ian's heart froze. A stab of panic formed in his stomach. Several nearby Souls looked at him questioningly and he heard soft murmurs of concern at his unwise action. They had been on the street for less than five minutes and he was going to get himself caught.

"Now Sings at Daylight," said Wanda gently but with admonishing edge to her voice, "We spoke about how the signal lights work. We only cross when the color green is displayed, right?"

Ian caught on to her lie quickly and with an audible sigh of relief said, "Yes, I'm so sorry. I forgot."

Wanda addressed the small circle of Souls and said with gentle humor, "Forgive my friend, he's a bit young. He's still learning all the customs of this world."

There were quick nods from the other Souls and Ian felt himself relax. As the light changed a Soul inhabiting an old man walked up to Ian and patted him softly on the arm. "Don't worry," he said, "At first I had the same problems. You'll get the hang of it." Feeling utterly humiliated but at the same time completely relieved at Wanda's cover story, Ian felt his shoulders sag in relief. Wanda gave him a reassuring smile and they continued across the street. As he walked Melanie leaned in and whispered with annoyed humor, "Can't take you anywhere."

Entering the station they found it even busier than the outside. Progress through the swarms of Souls was slow, but ultimately easier. There were so many bodies moving about it would be nearly impossible to standout unless one started screaming at the top of their lungs. Wanda led them to a small set of seats currently unoccupied. They huddled together to give a little privacy.

Nate glanced at Lacey, "Alright Miss Lacey, you're up. Which way do we go?"

"Down," said Lacey simply. "We need to go down to lowest level. We are looking for the Pedway entrance."

"A Pedway?" asked Ian.

"A set of walk ways used to connect the buildings downtown together," explained Lacey. "They're used mostly for getting around the city, but they also have shops and stores in some. The one we are looking for has a maintenance door which leads to a stairway going down to a sub-basement. From there we can get into the freight tunnels."

"And from there we find our hidden rebels," said an enthusiastic Nate.

Lacey glowered at him for a moment and said testily, "I've only been saying this since the beginning, but there are miles of tunnels down there. Finding them is not going to be easy."

Undeterred, Nate replied, "Got to start somewhere, but first things first, let's get down there."

They nodded in agreement and broke from their small circle. Lacey now took the lead while the other followed close behind her. Ian was still unnerved while walking in a group of Souls. There was no pushing or running, none of the chaos one would usually find in a mob of regular humans. Making their way to the lower levels was a slow process. After nearly twenty minutes of walking and Lacey reversing direction after she realized she was going in the wrong direction Ian saw a sign reading "Pedway Cross Walk up ahead". Looking down the main concourse Ian could see an entrance to the Pedway with a corridor gently sloping down out of sight.

The mass of Souls found on the upper levels of the station had thinned out and Ian found himself relaxing at last. Lacey led them towards the Pedway entrance. She started to enter but then froze and jumped back in alarm. Ian and others jerked back as well, reacting in surprise to the small woman's distress.

"What's wrong?" hissed Melanie.

Lacey was pale and she sucked in an unsteady breath. She uttered one word which brought fear to everyone in an instant, "Seekers."

Ian glanced back to the Pedway and saw two men standing near the entrance. Both men dressed in the familiar black uniforms worn by Seekers. Neither one appeared to have noticed Lacey's sudden retreat from the entrance. Ian wasn't sure, but they appeared to be guarding the Pedway.

They regrouped a short distance away from the Seekers and any other Souls. Lacey was still shaken by her near run in with the two Seekers. Her eyes were wide with fright and she was breathing in ragged gasps. Unexpectedly Melanie put her arm around Lacey trying to calm her down. Burns and Wanda looked on with worried expressions. After a moment Lacey calmed, "I think… I think I know one of them. The tall one looked like somebody I…or she…we…" She broke off and screwed her face up in frustration at trying to make sense of memories from the Seeker who used her body.

"It's okay Lacey," said Melanie softly, "don't worry about the right words. We get the idea, not a good idea for them to see you."

"Damn it," said Ian hotly, "we've been here half an hour and we've nearly blown it twice."

"I don't think they saw me," said Lacey in a shaky whisper.

"Why are they here?" asked Nate. He looked back to the Pedway. Several Souls approached the Pedway corridor but the Seekers politely refused them entry.

Burns regarded the Seekers as well. "They seem to be guarding the Pedway. Lacey, where is the access to the tunnels in the Pedway?"

"Not far past the beginning of the Pedway," said Lacey. She squinted at the length of the visible walkway and added, "I can almost see it from here."

"They are keeping the Pedway isolated. Keeping anyone from trying to accessing the sub-basement," observed Burns.

"We need some sort of distraction, something to draw them away," said Ian.

Nate looked thoughtful, "What if we pulled the fire alarm? That would certainly distract them." Wanda and Burns both looked scandalized at the idea.

Burns shook his head, "No Soul would pull a fire alarm unless there was an actual fire." Nate looked thoughtful, thinking about the possibilities. Burns shook his head sternly and addressed Nate as if he were a child, "If we set an real fire, it will create suspicion and scrutiny. It would only bring more Seekers."

"Well," grumbled Nate, "I'm trying to think outside the box here." He took a look again at the Seekers and spoke to Lacey, "So if this isn't going to work, what other ways do you know?"

Lacey thought it over and answered with an air of defeat, "We could try down by the riverside sewage tunnels or maybe the Metra station at State Street. But everything I know, the Seekers know as well. If they are guarding this opening, they will be guarding the others as well."

Melanie looked to Wanda and Burns. "It's just the two of them. Could you two keep them distracted long enough for us to get past them?"

Wanda considered and then nodded. "Yes I think we could. But if we distract the Seekers how do Burns and I follow?" Ian saw Melanie work through the problem, considering their options, but ultimately gave up with a frown.

With a sudden insight Ian said, "We're over thinking the problem. Why are the Seekers here? To guard the entrance and stop someone from going down into the tunnels, they're focused on keeping people out. So what happens if someone comes up from below? "

Wanda's thin blond eyebrows knitted together in confusion, but then her eyes open in realization and she smiled at Ian. "They would think it was a human, come up from below." She turned to Lacey asking, "If I tell them I saw someone come out of the door and take off running, what would the Seekers do?"

"Well they'll call for backup, you can count on that," replied Lacey with an irritated sigh. She reflected on Wanda's and Ian's plan, a small smile forming on her face and she added, "They would also move off to investigate and try to track their rouge human."

"I'm guessing we wouldn't have a lot of time before more Seekers showed up," said Melanie.

"No," agreed Lacey, "but they would be focused on searching the station and the surrounding area. We'll have to move fast."

"Wasn't planning on sticking around here," smiled Nate. The craggy faced man had a particularly wolfish grin. Ian could tell he liked this plan.

"Alright, do we agree this is our best plan?" asked Ian. Melanie and Lacey nodded in agreement, Wanda had a nervous smile but also nodded. Ian didn't bother to get Nate's agreement; he knew the man was ready. Only Burns remained. Ian glanced at the tall redhead and asked, "Burns, how about you?"

The Soul looked very nervous, but he glanced at his friends and nodded. "Agreed," he said with a sigh.

Wanda volunteered. Ian knew there was no one better for this plan than Wanda with her small innocent face which was so easy to trust. She wasn't a skilled liar compared to Humans, but compared to her virtuous brethren, she was a master. Even so, he could tell she was very nervous. He slipped his hand in hers and gently stroked her hand. He could feel her muscles in her hands and arms relax at his touch.

They waited till the Seekers were busy turning away another group of Souls. Wanda quickly approached the Seekers and began to talk to the two dark dressed Souls. She pointed down the Pedway and made the motion of someone running. Ian strained to listen but only caught a few words, he heard one Seeker ask, "Are you sure?" He saw Wanda nod solemnly. Both Seekers turned from Wanda and began discussing among themselves. Ian held his breath, they would either take the bait or not.

He didn't need to wait long; one Seeker pulled a phone from his belt and began to talk into the device. The Seeker turned to the other one and with a simple shake of his head they both ran down the corridor. Wanda watched them go. Ian felt his tension rise as a long minute passed and then another, what was taking so long? Ian had almost convinced himself their plan had failed when Wanda made a small motion with her hand, signaling the others over.

Ian surprised himself by not running to Wanda and pulling her into a hug. There were still Souls around, he had to be careful. Wanda was nearly bouncing with nervous excitement when they reached her. She spoke urgently, "We have to go now. I don't think they will be gone long."

Nate gave a quick look around at the concourse and the remaining Souls had not taken notice. "Let's go," he said in a tight whisper.

They walked the first few steps into the empty Pedway, but once out of sight of the other Souls their small group broke into a run. Ian reached the door first and turned the knob. The knob turned easily enough, but the door was heavy and being unused left it slow to open. Nate and Burns were right behind him and helped pull on the door. It opened wide enough and Ian ushered Wanda, Melanie, and Lacey through. Nate was through next and then Ian heard footsteps coming down from the far end of the Pedway. With only seconds to spare Ian jumped through the doorway with Burns right behind him. They grabbed the door and pulled it shut.

All of them froze when the sound of footsteps stopped right in front of the doorway. No one dared breathe. Ian steeled himself. While they possibly could overpower the two Seekers, their cover would be blown, and Seekers would swarm after them. All they could do was to wait.

From the other side of the door Ian heard a man's voice, "Should we check the stairway and levels below?" The Seeker's voice was full of excitement. Ian hands tighten into fists, ready for the Seekers to open the door.

The other Seeker responded in calm and even voice, "No, Night Ember Lights, we've been ordered to secure the area. When the others arrive we will review and come to a decision."

"I don't get it," said the first Seeker, "Why would the humans come up here and now?"

The second Seeker responded, irritation creeping into his steady voice, "You heard what they did yesterday? They are getting very bold in my opinion." The first Seeker responded but his voice was fading as both men began to walk away. A few seconds more and Ian couldn't hear even their footsteps.

After nearly a minute of hearing nothing more Ian let out a shaky breath and said to the others, "Whew…that was close." He finally turned from the door and saw they were crowd into a dark stairwell.

Nate fished around in his bag and after a moment pulled out a flash light. Turning it on he said, "Well, let's not stick around here." After a moment he began to slowly descend the stairs.

In silent agreement they followed after him into the darkness below.

* * *

####

* * *

Susan shifted in bed and pulled herself closer to Alex. Alex kissed her on her forehead and she gave a contented sigh. Lately their schedules were so busy they rarely had time to be alone, reflected Alex as he drew lazy circles on Susan's bare shoulder. He knew this was largely his own fault. He had spent all his spare time on the lowest level of the Facility. It was by choice he went there and if Major Ashby found out he would be in a lot of trouble. So he had chosen to spend his morning with Susan to not arouse too much suspicion, even if he had many pressing issues to attend.

"Alex," whispered Susan.

"Yes love?" answered Alex.

"Do you ever think about the future?" asked Susan in a tiny voice.

Alex turned in bed and in the dim light of his room looked Susan in the face. She smiled at him self-consciously. A tussle of blond hair fell across her face. She nibbled at the end of it. Susan always chewed on her hair when she was nervous. She noticed her hair and quickly stopped. "I mean," She started with sigh, "about after…when this war is done?"

"Sometimes," said Alex after a moment of consideration. He frowned, "Why do you ask?"

She paused for a long minute. Alex was nearly ready to prompt her again when she began softly. "Everyone is talking. I mean, not in the open, but quietly everyone is realizing this is it. Either we beat the parasites this time or we're done for."

Alex opened his mouth to answer, but Susan pressed a finger softly against his mouth. She continued, "At first I would day-dream about what I would do when the invasion was over. About going home and seeing my Mom, Dad, and my sisters all back to normal. Like nothing had ever happened. But as the years went by, I stopped thinking about it. About anything really, everything became another test to run, another operation to do."

Susan stopped and gazed at Alex with a small frighten expression. He pulled her close and kissed her passionately. He felt her arms tighten around him. He squeezed her to himself, as if to drive all her fears out. Gently breaking the kiss he said, "Adams will do it, I know he can."

Alex felt her stiffen at the name. He pulled back and looked into her eyes; they were full of disgust and dread. "Alex," she whispered, "what they did to Adams…after the surgery. When he looks at you…" He felt her give an involuntary shudder.

"Its fine," said Alex but he couldn't cover his uncertainty completely. Susan did have a point. After Adams had gone through the surgery unexpected changes in his biochemistry appeared. The man's eyes had changed so radically.

"And all the instruments in the lab," continued Susan, interrupting Alex's thoughts on Adams. "I have no idea where we get this equipment. And I know it wasn't designed by us, so who did? How did we get a hold of these devices?"

Susan had pulled away from him, becoming increasing agitated. Alex could only wait; he had no way of answering her questions, even when he knew the answers to her questions. She paused and Alex just gave her a sad smile.

"I know, you can't tell me," she said with a huff, "Information needs to be compartmentalized in case one of us gets taken".

Alex pulled her close again, enjoying her warmth on his skin. He whispered into her ear reassuringly, "I know, you've got a lot a questions, and I promise the day is coming where you'll get them all answered." She kissed his neck and then his jaw. He ran his hands down her sides, and she purred with desire. It would be easy to give into her, but Alex needed to know before going further. He asked in a small whisper, "The others, they're worried as well?"

Susan gave a simple shrug confirming Alex's hunch. She murmured as he kissed down her neck, "Going to tell the Major?"

Alex nodded in agreement as his kisses traveled down Susan's body. But the truth was Major Ashby was the very last person he would be telling.

* * *

####

* * *

"When Ripley is running down the corridor trying to get away from the alien. It scared Kyle and myself silly the first time we watched" said Ian as they made their way slowly down the underground tunnel. Their flash lights the only illumination in this pitch black tunnel. Progress was slow as the floor of this particular tunnel was very uneven and the ceiling was too low for Ian. Both he and Burns often had to stoop as they walked along.

Beside him, Nate shook his head disagreeing Ian. "Yeah, everyone goes for Alien. But if you want really scary you need The Thing, the 1982 version specifically."

"Never saw it," said Ian.

"Your loss, best scary alien movie out there," replied Nate. He sighed and continued, "I suppose it hits a little close to home now a days."

"Seriously, do you two have to talk about scary movies now?" interrupted Melanie as she ducted her head around a low support column in the tunnel.

"Don't like scary stories in the dark?" said Nate with a grin.

"No," said Melanie irritably. She pulled over to Ian and whispered, "Also its bothering Wanda."

Ian sighed, he should have known better. He felt like a jerk for getting into a conversation with Nate about their favorite killer alien movies when his girlfriend just happened to come from the stars. He mentally kicked himself and walked faster to catch up to Wanda. With her short size, she made progress through the tunnel with easy compared to Ian.

"Sorry," he said gently when he reached her. "Don't get upset, it was just Nate and I being stupid."

She was silent for several seconds and said in a small voice, "Don't humans have any movies where the aliens who visit them are nice?"

Ian considered, there were movies with friendly extraterrestrials but were out numbered by many more violent movies with aliens come to either kill or enslave humanity. "There are a few," he answered lamely.

Wanda continued on in silence for a while and then said softly, "No wonder humans feared us so much, everything in your movies led you to believe aliens would only hurt you."

"Wanda, they're just movies, most of them not very good. We never actually met aliens before you Souls came along, we didn't have any idea what we were talking about," explained Ian.

Ian watched as Wanda scrunched her face up in confusion, he loved the little dimple which formed when she did. "Why then," she asked, "did you make the movies?"

"I don't know, scary movies are supposed to be fun, not a real thing to learn from. More like a roller coaster. It seems scary but you're safe the entire time," answered Ian in a way he hoped Wanda would understand.

"Humans," said Wanda with a shake of her head in a disapproving tone. In the dim light her blond hair bounced lightly. He saw she was trying to hide her smile but was failing.

Ian smiled along with her as he captured her hand and said, "Admit it, you love us."

"I suppose," answered Wanda with a silly grin. "Although there are times I wonder what I am thinking."

Up ahead the tunnel split into four directions. One tunnel continued along in the same direction, while the others angled off in different directions. The last tunnel slopped down sharply. They all drew to a stop at the intersection. Ian looked down the tunnel which sloped away from their current tunnel. His flash light couldn't penetrate the darkness to the bottom of the shaft.

Turning to Lacey he asked, "So what do you think, down or continue on this level?"

Lacey grimaced, "I don't know. I tried the paths I remember, but now we are going a bit off the map." She pointed to the tunnel slopping down and added, "I don't know where that one goes."

Now Nate examined the tunnels. "Won't be the easiest thing to climb out," he said gesturing to the downward tunnel. He bent down and rubbed his feet. "Two and half hours of us walking and nothing to show for it," groaned Nate.

Lacey made sound between a sigh and growl. With a sneer she said, "As I told you, these tunnels are nearly a maze which goes on for miles. If the Seekers couldn't find them, why did you think we could?"

"Because we're human," said Nate irritably. He glanced over to Burns and then Wanda and added, "Sorry, I mean most of us are human." The two Souls nodded in understanding as Nate continued, "I'm guessing these guys know when someone is down here. So when the Seekers come they lie low. But if we're down here, I'm hoping they come out."

Lacey relented a bit and replied, "Nate, you might be right, but there are miles of these tunnels. We might not even be close to them. They might not even know we are here."

"We do," said a voice from behind her.

Lacey jumped nearly high enough to bang her head on the low ceiling. Ian spun around and shined his flash light towards the voice. The light illuminated tunnel walls, but nothing else. Wanda pulled in close to Ian, his free hand bringing her behind him protectively, while continuing to shine his flashlight down the tunnels.

"Hello," called Nate into the dark tunnel. There was a distant echo of his voice but no reply.

"Damn you're noisy," said the voice again, this time from behind Nate and Burns. They turned in a rush, both of them trying to shine their respective flashlights on the source of the mysterious voice, but they found nothing. Now Ian was sure it was a man's voice.

"We are looking for the people who cured the plague affecting this city," said Burns into the darkness.

"Why?" said the man from the darkness. This time on Ian's left. When he turned his flashlight, Ian thought he caught a black shape rapidly moving in between the tunnels.

"We're a rebel cell like yours," said Ian into the darkness.

"That's not answering the question," came the reply from the inky blackness. Ian turned and this time his flash light illuminated a figured dressed completely in black. He leaned against one the support columns of the tunnels. The man then made no attempt to move when Ian and the others cast their flashlights in his direction.

"You've gained the trust of the Souls of this city," explained Wanda as she pulled herself from behind Ian. "You are in a position to create peace between the Humans and the Souls. We want to help you."

Leaning on the old cement column the man's face was mostly hidden by a black hood. The hood moved up and down as he sized Wanda up and then gave a low whistle. "Well, you're not what I expected." Ian realized the flashlights were producing enough light to cause the silver in Wanda's eyes to reflect. Ian put himself between the shadowy man and Wanda.

"She's with us, she a friend," explained Ian.

"Is that a fact?" asked the man. A wild grin appeared on the face not hidden by the hood. Ian wasn't sure he trusted the man's smile.

"It is," said Ian tightly. "Look we came to find you, but I'll not let you hurt her!" declared Ian. Wanda tugged on his arm and said in a soft pleading voice, "Ian, please."

"My friend, I don't think you understand the situation," replied the man in black. "Allow me to illuminate it for you."

With a sudden burst the darkened tunnels became bathed in light. Half a dozen large flood lights lit up the tunnel. The light focused on the small circle of Ian and his friends. Ian and the others had to shield his eyes from the dazzling light. He blinked several times, trying to clear his vision of bright after images produced by the lights.

As Ian's vision improved he saw they were surrounded. He counted nearly a dozen men and women, all dressed in the same black clothing. Many of them held weapons, all trained on Ian or one of the others. Ian was trying his best to shield Wanda; behind him Nate was trying the same with Burns. Both Souls stared in fear at the humans who encircled them.

"Well done Dell," said the hooded man. Ian saw a large dark-skinned man holding a rifle grunt in acknowledgement. Slowly the hooded man walked up to Ian. Like Ian he had to duck with the low ceiling. He pulled his dark hood back to show a young man with brown spiky hair. Ian gaped in amazement and realization.

Smiling broadly the man said, "The names Marc Walters, who the hell are you?"


	10. Revelations

 

Wanda tried her best to not tremble when the Humans put the blindfold on her. Up to this point she, Ian, Melanie, Lacey, Nate and Burns had been led through a complex route in the tunnels. Wanda seriously doubted she could have been able to return on her own. They had walked in near darkness. The rebel Humans of Chicago didn't use large flash lights like the ones Nate brought. They only used small pen lights to navigate the tunnels.

With the blindfold on what little light available became cut off. Wanda wondered about the need of the blindfold, she and the others were already hopelessly lost. Nate must have felt the same as she heard him say, "Do we really need the blindfolds? I haven't a clue where we are."

A chorus of people answered him with a single word: "Yes."

When found by the rebel Humans of Chicago, Ian explained who they were and the purpose of their mission to their leader, Marc Walters. Marc listened but remained cautious, he didn't seem to know what to make of these Humans and Souls who blundered their way into his home. Marc explained his people would take them to a safe place, but also made it clear Ian and the others didn't have a choice in the matter.

A strong hand wrapped around her left arm and pulled her along. Memories of when Jeb found her and Melanie in the desert came flooding back and she found herself afraid. Now, like in the desert, she found herself being led along to an unknown location by humans with unknown plans for her. She wished she was with Ian; he would be worried about her. The tension built-in her slim body and she felt a strong tremor run through her as they walked along.

"Don't worry," said a low voice near her left ear. "We're just being careful. No one will hurt you."

Wanda realized the voice belonged to the man who was holding her arm. She had seen him before being blindfolded. A skinny man who she hadn't heard his name. He had stared open mouth at her and Burns when the Humans realized they were both Souls. His words were gentle and Wanda found some of her fears fade. These Chicago Humans appeared far more tolerant of Souls than Jeb's clan had at the beginning.

On the way to Chicago Wanda and the others often discussed the plague and how it was cured. With so little information on the people who helped cure the disease, their conversations often led to little more than speculation. But Wanda found herself wanting to believe these Humans had acted nobly to aid in finding a cure. It would be more proof that her people had badly misjudged the Humans and were wrong to take their world from them. Now, marched along in the inky blackness, she felt very conflicted. They had not received the most gracious of welcomes, but this man's reassuring words did give her hope.

A cold, damp, breeze blew on her uncovered face and as Wanda walked she could hear a district echo to her footfalls. They appeared to be walking in a large room, with distant walls causing the echo. She was pulled to a stop and sounds of large heavy doors opening and closing could be heard, it caused a rumbling echo to reverberate through the large room. After a moment she was again guided along. She then was surprised when she felt her feet walk on something soft and the echoing noise drop off suddenly. Next the hand on her arm let her go and then she felt the covering come off her eyes. Darkness replaced by bright light.

Wanda blinked several times as her eyes adjusted to the much improved lighting. The light came from a single florescent bulb in the ceiling. She looked around her surroundings. It was a small dingy room with moldy old carpeting. It was not the most pleasant of smells. The only furniture was a beat-up and worn sofa sitting at the end of the room. The man who had spoken to her and guided her to this room stood nearby, studying her with wide eyes. She returned his silent stare. In the better light he was younger than she would have believed. His short dark blond hair had a touch of waviness. She would guess his hair would become curly if he would grow it out. His blue eyes were not hostile but instead shown with deep curiosity. Just like Jeb's mused Wanda.

The door to the outside opened again and she saw Burns being led in by Marc Walters. Marc led Burns through and shut the door behind him. Her fellow Soul, also blindfolded, was guided over to the sofa where Marc removed the covering over his eyes. The tall red-haired Soul blinked in the light as he looked about the room. He saw Wanda and breathed an audible sigh of relief. "Are you alright?" he asked.

Nodding to Burns, she addressed Marc who was watching both Souls intently, "Where are the others?"

"Nearby," answered Marc after a moment of hesitation. He turned to the other man and whispered something to the other man. He nodded and answered in a low whisper of his own. The two men appeared to be reaching some sort of decision.

"We aren't Seekers," said Burns suddenly.

Marc blinked in surprise at Burns' remark and then smiled. His smile was a playful smile, one that made him seem almost like a young boy who had been caught getting into trouble. A mischievous smile, decided Wanda.

"I know Seekers when I see one. Trust me friend, I know you two aren't Seekers," replied a still smiling Marc.

Burns relaxed at the statement and then said quietly, "I was concerned after watching news reports about you, Marc Walters. Your actions indicated you would not react well if you believed us to be Seekers. I didn't want any of us to be tarred and feathered."

"What? Wait…What?" sputtered Marc. He looked Burns up and down in growing confusion and then turned towards his friend who had a similar expression on his face. Both men regarded the Soul as if he had an extra head on his shoulders. Burns began to explain when Marc held up his hands in a pleading gesture. "Okay, let's start over here." He motioned to the old sofa for the two Souls to sit down. Burns sat down gingerly on the sofa, seeming unsure it would support his weight. Wanda didn't hesitate, after nearly three hours in the tunnels she was glad to get off her feet. After she settled into the worn out cushion of the sofa Wanda looked up at the two humans expectedly.

"Alright you seem to already know me," began Marc and then pointing to other man who still had a bemused expression on his face, "and this is Scott." Scott gave them a quick smile and a nod. Marc then asked, "Now who are you?"

"I am Burns Living Flowers, but most simply call me Burns," answered the tall Soul.

Scott's eyes immediately widened at Burns' full name. He asked, "Burns Living Flowers…your name means you came from Fire World, right?"

"Yes," said Burns with a touch of surprise. Wanda found herself intrigued, these humans obviously knew a good deal about Souls already. She wondered where they had gained such knowledge. Perhaps they too had a Soul who had helped and taught them about her people.

"Never talked to someone from there," said Scott softly.

Marc turned towards Scott and said with a smirk, "I think that dipstick Seeker Twice Fires is from there."

"Marc, I mean someone I would _want_ to talk to," said Scott flatly. Wanda watched the two humans, they were obviously close friends. Scott regarded Burns with a faint hope in his eyes. "I mean if you would be up to answer some questions about that planet," explained Scott.

"Scott's sort of our resident Soul expert," explained Marc to Burns and Wanda who were looking at Scott oddly. He regarded Burns and added, "He'll have a million questions for you."

"I would answer…what I can," said Burns slowly. Wanda suspected her friend would be uncomfortable talking about the sentient flowers which made up the Fire Eaters main food supply. Scott smiled happily at Burns' agreement.

"And you?" prompted Marc looking at Wanda.

"Wanda," she replied and then paused. She had grown use to her given human name and answered Marc's question without thinking. "Short for Wanderer…I have had many names actually, but Wanda is best."

Marc considered her words and asked, "The name Wanderer implies you've traveled a lot. Is that why you have the name?"

"Yes," said Wanda with a smile. She regarded Scott, "I have been to many worlds. You seem to know something of our history. I suppose you'll have many questions for me as well."

Scott nodded eagerly and Wanda believed the young man would give Jeb stiff competition for the most inquisitive human she had ever met. Marc waved him off and simply said, "Later." He folded his arms and grew serious, "Why were the two of you with the others?" Marc pointed towards the door indicating her friends and continued with his questioning, "Did they force you to go with them?"

"They're our friends," said Wanda shaking her head. "We traveled together to find you."

"Friends," said Marc slowly. He sounded out the word as though it was unfamiliar to him.

Wanda went with a hunch and asked, "You have made friends with Souls as well, haven't you? How else would you know so much about us?"

Marc and Scott exchanged looks that Wanda could only describe as grief. She wondered what had happened to cause such pain in the two men's eyes. She was about to ask when the door suddenly banged open and a stocky man with black hair stormed into the room.

Marc's eyes narrowed at the sudden intrusion. "Jason, what's wrong?" he asked with concern in his voice.

Jason stood scowling as he looked over the two Souls and then pointed to Wanda, "You…You're Wanda, right?"

Uncertain and somewhat fearful of this new Human's suddenly arrival Wanda could only nod to his question. Still irritated Jason turned to Marc and said, "They're impossible! Every five seconds it's 'Where's Wanda?' and 'What are you doing to Wanda?' or 'You better not be hurting Wanda'. Dell is about ready to knock the tall guy's teeth in."

Wanda jumped up; alarmed Ian would be in such danger. She glared at the three Humans. "We came to you in peace. We only wanted to help you. Is this how you treat guests!?"

Marc, Scott, and Jason all stared at her in disbelief. Her actions were not one of a peaceful Soul she realized, but at the moment Wanda didn't care. She was smaller than any of the humans in the room, but her sudden outburst of anger made them all take a step back. Marc gazed at her very intently, his brown eyes meeting her grey silver eyes. Still holding her stare he blew out an annoyed breath and told Jason, "Fine, bring them in."

Wanda relaxed and with a shrug Jason turned at exited the room. She felt Marc's eyes on her as he studied her very closely. After her initial outburst, she was beginning to feel a bit self-conscious. With frustration she could feel a blush forming on her cheeks. Marc's face betrayed nothing. She realized he had a poker face just like Jeb's.

The door opened only a few moments later and Jason returned with her friends close behind. From the door way Jason pointed to her and said, "See? She's fine. Damn it, you guys acted like we were poking her with sticks or something."

Pushing past Jason, Ian strode into the room and went directly over to Wanda. He bent down and pulled her into a tight hug. "Are you okay?" he whispered into her ear. His voice was full of worry and concern.

Nodding she whispered back, "I'm fine Ian. Marc was just asking us questions." From the corner of her eye she saw Marc with a knowing smile on his face. Scott and Jason looked mildly shocked at Ian's behavior. Wanda felt her cheeks grow from a faint blush to beet red as these new humans gawked at her and Ian.

Marc cleared his throat loudly and said to the others, "Alright, we'll just do this all at once then. As you can see we're not hurting your shiny eyed friends. I was just trying to understand why you four brought two Souls with you." He glanced at Ian who had released Wanda and stood protectively next to her and added with a faint smirk, "But I guess I've figured that one out."

Wanda felt Ian tense at Marc's words but then he gave a frustrated sigh and she could feel Ian relax. He took her hand in his. Marc at least seemed accepting of her and Ian's relationship. She saw Nate push into the small room past Melanie to check on Burns. He gave a quick smile upon seeing his friend was alright and explained to Marc, "Most people when they meet Burns or Wanda usually get…a might upset. You can understand why we were worried."

"I believe Marc and the others may have had their own interaction with friendly Souls," said Burns from the sofa. He indicated to Scott, "They seem to know a good deal about us already." Wanda nodded in agreement with her fellow Soul. She remembered the pained looks Marc and Scott shared when she asked about their friendships with Souls. Hesitantly she asked, "What happened to your friends? Did the plague…"

"Yes," said Marc faintly as he answered her unspoken question. Marc's good humor had faded and a pained look settled on his face. "To be accurate," elaborated Scott, "there was also an accident recently. We lost two good friends, a healer who helped us with the epidemic and his partner."

Scott glanced to Marc, the tall man simply shrugged, and Scott began to explain in greater detail. "Well…we've made a few allies with Souls over the years we've lived down here. Not many mind you. Up until recently we've always been very careful about whom we revealed ourselves, one false step would be fatal. In the process we learned a bit about Souls from them and some we learned by just listening and watching. " He regarded Burns and Wanda and added with a small smile, "Some of us are pretty good at blending in with the above ground population when we need to."

Surprised looks came from Wanda and her friends. Not only had these people succeeded in surviving in the city full of Souls, they had somehow managed to conceal themselves above ground. She began to ask for more details when the big man named Dell interrupted her from the end of room. "Enough about us, what exactly are you six doing here? In the tunnels you said you want to help. Well that nice…how are you going to help us?" Marc straightened at Dell's words and Wanda could see the man push his pain away within a heartbeat. He regarded Ian, Wanda, and the others coolly and asked, "So let's hear it, who are you and what's your story?

Ian glanced between Wanda and Nate. It was clear to Wanda these Humans were reluctant to discuss themselves further until they had a better understanding of their visitors and their agenda. Ian and Nate seemed to share her opinion for all three of them nodded silently. Ian then spoke up, "Alright fair enough. Like I said in the tunnels we came to the city attempting to find you and your people. We've heard about what happened with the plague and how you helped bring about the cure, but we're missing a lot of the details." Ian dipped his head towards Wanda and Burns, "As you can see we've befriended a few Souls of our own. We're hoping we can build on what you've accomplished, maybe work towards some type of peace with the Souls in general."

Marc, Scott, Jason, and Dell all exchanged looks. Wanda wasn't sure what the four men thought of Ian's proposal. Marc sighed and rubbed his temples. "Okay, we can discuss all that in a bit, but where are you guys from?" asked Marc after he finished rubbing his head.

"We actually represent two different rebel cells. I, Wanda, Melanie, and Lacey are from a group in Arizona. Nate and Burns are from another cell in Colorado," explained Ian.

"A hell of a road trip," remarked Jason.

"Just a bit," said Ian with a shrug. "With Wanda's help we've made some long-range raids before. But usually we didn't go too far into the big cities, just too much risk. I'll commend you guys for hanging on so long."

"It's always an adventure," said Marc with mild smile. "We don't get much in the way of visitors of the human variety. We haven't met up with anyone from outside Chicago in nearly two years. Last year there was some girl who made it into the city. Learned a little too late actually, she ended up jumping down an elevator shaft trying to get away from the Seekers."

Both Wanda and Ian started in surprise. They turned to Melanie and found her fighting hard to stop herself from bursting out in laughter. "Yep, that would be me!" she said in between a snicker.

"What!?" said Marc and Scott at the same time.

Wanda looked between Mel and Marc and then smiled herself. "Perhaps we should start at the beginning. You see originally I was inserted into…"

* * *

####

* * *

"Does It ever bother you?" asked Agent Williams to Agent Gray.

In the crowded living room Gray was busy with stripping down one of the AR-15s and didn't look up. Williams sighed and reached up and grabbed the bar suspended across the door way leading to the single bedroom. Pulling himself up till his chin was level with the bar, he then began slowly began counting to thirty. Midway through the count the muscles in his arms and shoulders began to burn as he hung in the air. He ignored the pain and finished his count. Then he slowly lowed himself back down until his feet touched the floor.

Williams let go and prepared to ask Gray again, the man could become so focused on cleaning a weapon he would become completely absorbed. Gray stopped working on the weapon and looked up at Williams. The man's eyes were distant as he contemplated William's question. At last he said indifferently, "Sometimes when I sleep, really strange dreams. Sounds and colors I can't even understand. About other worlds I guess."

"I don't dream," said Williams as he went over to a crate of equipment packed into the living room. He began to count their ordnance, what felt like for the hundredth time. He paused and asked hesitantly, "Is that normal?"

Gray shrugged his shoulders and went back to his work. "I don't know," he said as he adjusted the scope on the weapon, "the Docs say it's different from person to person. No two Recoveries go the same way."

Still working on re-assembling the gun, Gray fixed him with a hard stare. "Williams, why are you asking? Does yours talk to you? You know you need to report that right away."

"No, I don't hear It," said Williams irritably. Gray continued eyeing him closely. Williams gritted his teeth and then finally said, "Yeah I get the headaches and once in a while a tremor in the hands. I take the medicine like I'm supposed to. I felt…something when we pulled the worm from the woman, but other than that I don't feel anything."

"Well, what's the problem?" asked Gray with slight confusion.

Williams balled his hands into fists and had to suppress the urge to scream. "Because I've got one of those damn things in my head! And I don't care if the Doctors say it been suppressed and I'm in control again. I've got all these gaps in my memory. How do I know It isn't effecting me?"

"Ahh, you don't trust yourself," said Gray in understanding. He sat the AR-15 down, now fully assembled and asked, "Do you have some desire to walk into the Seekers' headquarters and turn us in?"

"No, of course not," said Williams.

"You've killed them before, how did you feel when you did it?" questioned Gray.

"Honestly, I didn't feel much of anything." Williams paused, thinking about what he just said. The Major had asked him the same question before the assembly of the team. As before his answer was truthful, he felt nothing, but Williams was beginning to feel that was the problem. "I don't react when I kill one of them, shouldn't I feel at least something? Don't you?"

Gray ran his hands through his thinning dark hair. He leaned back in his chair, contemplating Williams' question. Williams stopped checking on the crates and sat down on a chair across from Gray and waited. He could tell Gray was unhappy with the question he had asked, working for the Facility had limits on how far you could go when questioning your orders. Asking if you felt bad about killing your enemy wasn't. But asking if they were right to kill innocent people controlled by a race of parasitic aliens would be going too far.

At last Gray said, "Do you _want_ to feel something?"

"Yes," said Williams truthfully. "I feel…empty. Like all these blank spots in my memory are stopping me from being…I don't know…complete."

"You don't remember much from when you were taken over?" asked Grey quietly.

"Hell, I don't remember much at all. At least anything other than being in the Army and then waking up in the Facility," answered Williams.

"Be thankful," growled out Gray. "I've got a wife out there somewhere, I remember her at least. Most likely a host, but maybe she got away. In all likelihood I'll never know. I only remember bits and pieces of when this thing ran the show." He reached back and rubbed the back of his neck by his insertion scar before continuing. "It was a Seeker and It though we humans were nothing but cattle. Just something you used and discarded when done. Remember my words if you ever feel bad about killing these worms."

"Sometimes I wonder if its worse not knowing what you did while It was in control. Not remembering just eats away at you," replied Williams shaking his head. He leaned forward to Gray and said softly, "I've heard when they do a removal of the parasite and if person recovers they remember everything."

"Not really an option for us. Too much cutting and cauterizing," said Gray tapping his head, "we'd be dead if they ever pulled It out." He smiled grimly, "But there is an upside, we get their pretty eyes. Best camouflage you can get."

Williams rose and began to walk to the bedroom. His talk with Gray hadn't helped much. Gray just didn't understand. The feeling of emptiness still weighed him down. From the chair Gray sighed and said firmly, "You know I'll have to report this to Adams. Any deviations need to be reported." Williams stop dead in his tracks.

Seeing Williams' reaction to his words, Gray relented and added, "I know how it is. We're stuck here waiting for the others to get back from the last mission. All we've got now is time to burn and the mind wanders." Gray gestured to the weapons he was cleaning before Williams interrupted him. "Just got to keep yourself busy."

"Do what you need to," grunted Williams and entered the bedroom. The bedroom had been mostly filled with their reconnaissance equipment. Williams sat down at the laptop which controlled the cameras mounted by the window and began reviewing footage. _'Keep yourself busy,'_ he told himself.

After waiting a few minutes to see if Gray would check up on him, Williams stopped reviewing recorded video. He instead pulled up the recording of the girl. He had nearly memorized the video, but he played it again. The other videos Williams had reported on, but not this one. This one he kept secret.

He knew the girl in the video.

How? Williams wasn't certain. Was it when the parasite called Pale Light Gleaming still controlled him, before It became lobotomized? Or was she from a time before the aliens? Somehow this Mia Cheng was the key to his memories.

"Mia, Mia, Mia," said Williams softly to himself, "I'm going to have to meet you soon."

* * *

####

* * *

"Well as you can see," said Marc to Wanda and Ian as they walked down the narrow corridor, "we're a little tight on space. But I think we can manage to fit you in…umm…somewhere."

After spending nearly two hours of retelling of her insertion into Melanie, their ensuing journey into the desert, of being found by Jeb, and the slow building of trust between herself and the humans over the months which followed, Marc and the others sat nearly transfixed before her. Ian and Melanie helped fill in details, but the story being told was all Wanda's. She was glad she could still tell a story so well. She had captivated them without really trying. In doing so, she had helped build trust between the two groups.

As part of the new trust, Marc had agreed to bring the six of them to their new hideout and shelter them for the time being. Wanda had to admit it wasn't quite what she had expected. But she was beginning to realize Marc and his fellow humans were anything but conventional.

"Thank you, Marc," said Wanda gently. Ian nodded as well. It would be nice if they could have a little privacy.

There was squeal from one of the rooms they passed and Lacey dashed out into the hallway with a wide grin on her face. "They have real showers!" she gushed excitedly, "Hot and cold running water anytime I want." She pointed to Marc and said with a mildly annoying tone to Ian, "Jeb and his caves can suck it. I love it here." She then entered the same room and shut the door behind her. After a moment the sound of running water could be heard.

Marc looked to Ian and Wanda. Ian sighed and said, "Well Lacey approves."

"I can't believe she used to be a Seeker," said Marc with a shake of his head.

"Believe it," said Ian and Wanda together.

Looking directly at Wanda, Marc said, "And you freed her and Melanie." There was a respect in both Marc's words and eyes when he spoke to her.

"It was the right thing to do," replied Wanda with a small smile.

Marc just shook his head again and looked back to the close door. "Almost don't want to tell her this is all temporary. We never planned to stay long-term, just too many risks."

"Were you planning on moving back to your original home?" asked Ian.

Marc stopped in the hallway and gestured around him. "A lot of our plans depend on how things go with the Souls and their little Quorum." He gave Wanda a pained looked and sighed, "It's been very slow with the Quorum. Honestly I don't know if I'm making any progress or not."

"Perhaps we can discuss your progress further, I may be able to help," said Wanda.

Marc grinned at her. "Little lady, I will take all the help you can give."

Wanda felt her cheeks warm slightly. Marc could be quite the gentleman when the mood struck him. Beside her Ian made a slightly irritated sigh, which Marc pointedly ignored. Wanda forced down a smile and gently rubbed Ian's hand with hers as they started walking again.

Rounding the corner a boy nearly ran into the three of them. The boy stopped when he saw Wanda, his jaw dropping in amazement. She looked him over and realized he was older than she first thought. His youthful face was just beginning to shape towards adulthood. His arms and legs just a bit too long for his body, all the signs of a recent growth spurt. Except for his floppy blond hair the boy look a good deal like Jamie. Wanda felt an instant twinge of pain, already missing her little brother.

"It's true," said the boy still staring at Wanda, "Dell said there were Souls with them, but I just couldn't believe it."

Marc pointed at the boy and said in annoyed tone, "Tim, don't gawk."

Tim's eyes never left Wanda but he closed his mouth with an audible snap. After a moment Tim swallowed nervously and said, "Hi, I'm Tim."

Wanda smiled fondly at the boy, "Hello Tim, my name is Wanda." She indicated to Ian who gave Tim a quick wave and continued, "And this is Ian. We're glad to meet you."

Tim's jaw appeared ready to drop again but Marc put a stop to it when he said coolly, "Yes this is Tim and he's grounded."

"What? Why?" asked Tim, finally taking his eyes off Wanda and Ian and looking to Marc.

Marc crossed his arms and said flatly, "Dell told me about the stunt you pulled yesterday and you skipped school. So you have detention until Sarah says otherwise."

"I thought you said I'm grounded," replied Tim with a trace of defiance in his voice.

Marc shrugged while answering, "No reason you can't have both." Tim's face reddened at Marc's answer. He looked ready to argue with Marc when the older man bent down and whispered something in Tim's ear. After a second Tim's anger drained away.

"Why?" asked Tim as his confusion grew.

"Just find her," snapped Marc. Tim scowled at Marc but turned and left down the narrow hallway. Marc watched him go and with a sigh he said, "Sorry about that. Sometimes I feel like I'm running a daycare center here."

"Trust me, we know how you feel," said Ian sympathetically as they began walking again. "Our group has its share of children as well. It seems like we can't go a week without some type of blow up happening in Sharon's class."

"I can't really blame Tim," replied Marc, "we've been stuck here on top of each other for over a month. Enough to make anyone a little stir crazy."

Marc led them to the end of the corridor and opened an old wooden door with the faded numbers three one seven labeled on the door. Inside Wanda saw a small unfinished room mostly filled with boxes of equipment. Even with the boxes removed she guessed it would only be half the size of the room she shared with Ian back in Jeb's caves.

"We've used this room for mostly storage," said Marc as he entered the room and gestured around. "I'll get a few of us over to move out what we can and scrounge up a mattress for you two, best I can do for now."

"Thanks," said Ian as he pulled Wanda to him. She snuggled into him as Ian wrapped his arms around her. Ian looked at the pile of boxes and asked, "Alright if we stack them outside in the hallway right now?"

Marc picked up on Ian's hint he wanted some time alone with Wanda. "Sure, it will do for now," replied Marc. Wanda saw the man give them both a rueful smile and added, "I'll just go and see how dinner is going." Finding his excuse to leave them alone, Marc disappeared down the hallway.

Ian bent down and gave Wanda a kiss. She sighed and squeezed herself to him. It was nice to be alone at last. Ian broke the kiss and said, "How are you doing?"

"Tired," she admitted and then added, "Sore and a little hungry. Marching around those tunnels is exhausting." Ian let go of her and pulled several boxes out of the room. He created a small sitting space for them among the stored equipment. Wanda sat down gingerly, careful to not damage anything in the boxes.

Ian checked the hallway to make sure it was clear and asked, "So what do you think of their little arrangement with the Seekers?"

Wanda fought to keep her features calm and gave a frustrated sigh. "I understand Marc's idea and I will admit it does seem to be working. But the idea they could release how to remove Souls to the remaining human resistance…it's very disconcerting."

"I get the feeling Marc didn't really want to tell us either. Are you sure you're alright with this?" questioned Ian.

Wanda was about to answer when a noise from the doorway drew her attention. Ian also looked up, his eyes narrowing. In the door way stood a girl. She was small, smaller than Wanda. Dark hair with an Asian appearance she wore a pair of dirty and ripped cargo pants with a threadbare black shirt. She swayed from side to side in the doorway, as though she was dancing slowly to music only she could hear.

Smiling broadly at Wanda the girl spoke with glee. "Hello, my name is Mia!"

Wanda returned the girl's smile, but something about how the girl looked at her made her feel nervous. Ian regarded Mia with a puzzled expression and said, "Umm…Hi, my name is Ian and this is Wanda."

Mia glanced at Ian and then back to Wanda, still looking at her with her odd smile. With a sudden jump she threw herself into the small room, passing Ian and landing right up next to Wanda. Wanda started with surprise at the girl's sudden movement, but then froze as the girl pulled a small knife from her belt.

Mia leaned in with the knife and said in a sign song voice, "Bright eyes, let's play a game."


	11. Conditions

"So what do you think?" asked Marc as he leaned against the ancient refrigerator in their hideout's small kitchen.

"Which part?" replied Scott as he sat on one of the long tables making up their informal dining room. "The part about Wanderer co-existing with Melanie in the same body, the part about them living in those caves in the strangest love triangle I've ever heard of, or about their plans to help us?"

Marc leaned his head back against the old fridge, thinking about Scott's question. He honestly wasn't sure which part he wanted answered. Their whole story was so strange, it defied an easy understanding. Their unlikely six new guests and their mission to help them had caught his people by surprise. Now he wasn't sure what to do about any of them.

Behind him the fridge began to sputter, it didn't care to have someone of Marc's size leaning on it. Marc gave it a short smack to the machine's side. The refrigerator made an annoyed buzzing sound, but stopped sputtering. Dell looked up from his pot where he was cooking a stew and frowned. "If you aren't helping," he grumbled, "get out of my kitchen." From Dell's side where she was cleaning vegetables, Annie gave him a lopsided smile and added, "Marc you know that refrigerator is barely holding its own, it's not going to take your abuse."

Sighing Marc pushed off the fridge and addressed Annie, "You up to meeting the two Souls? They're pleasant enough, but if you don't feel up to it, I think they'll understand."

Annie's smile faded and she let out a shaky sigh. "Yes, I'll meet with them. I…shouldn't put it off. It's not like they are personally responsible for having Crystal Spires put into me." She looked down at the vegetables she was cutting and brought a trembling hand to the back of her neck as she traced her insertion scar.

Scott noticed Annie's discomfort and gently said, "Maybe you could talk with Melanie or Lacey first. They both were hosts, they would know what you're going through."

Before Annie could reply, they all heard a high pitch scream and then a loud shout. All four of them froze. In their close quartered home it wasn't hard to tell where the screams had come from, down the hall in the small storage room, where Marc had left Ian and Wanda only minutes before. He looked to Scott and they both bolted out of the room, racing for the tiny supply room.

Along the way Marc saw Melanie Stryder in the hallway, her face shaped into angry scowl on the tall woman. She fell in right behind Marc and Scott, her long legs easily keeping up with them. "That was Wanda, what the hell is going on!?" Marc didn't get a chance to answer as they rounded the corner and they saw Ian wresting with a small figure at the end of the hallway.

Through gritted teeth Marc said to himself, "Mia." He had told Tim and the others to find the girl and keep her away from the Souls. Mia could be so unpredictable when she was near one of the aliens, it was best not to allow a chance encounter. Unfortunately the girl had found the Souls first, and judging from the earlier scream Mia was not reacting well.

Marc saw Ian fight to hold on to Mia. Ian easily outclassed the girl in both size and strength, but Mia was talented at getting out of nearly any trap and she really didn't like being held as Ian was attempting to do. She trashed wildly and snarled in his grip as he pulled her away from the doorway to the storage room. Ian lifted Mia and held her at arm's length, trying to keep her flaring arms and legs away from his body.

They had nearly reached Ian and the crazed girl when Mia suddenly swung her left leg back in a wide arc and connected right in Ian's midsection. The dark-haired man let out a loud yelp and dropped Mia. Ian dropped to his knees, still groaning.

"Ohhh," winced Scott, "Right in the balls. That's got to hurt."

Mia was up in a second, her eyes wild as the stared into the open doorway. She smiled and said with a laugh, "Now where were we?"

Marc caught up to her and grabbed her by the wrist. In a low angry growl he said, "Mia! Enough, stop this now!" Without pause Mia spun and kicked out, but Marc was ready. He caught her foot and yanked hard, causing Mia to lose her balance and fall roughly on her butt. Hitting the ground she let out a cry but almost immediately pushed herself back up. Marc wasn't having any of it; he grabbed her by the shoulders and pushed her back down roughly. Towering over the small girl, Marc said in an angry annoyed voice, "You done?"

Mia didn't try to get back up but continued to stare into the doorway from where she sat. She snarled out, "I don't like her!"

"Well I don't care if you don't like her, you're not going to kill her," snapped Marc. He kept his focus on Mia and didn't follow the girl's gaze. He hoped Wanda was alright.

While Scott helped Ian back to his feet, Melanie pushed past Marc and entered the storage room. A soft whimper reached Marc's ears from the room and he risked a glance into the room. Melanie held Wanda in her arms. The small blond-haired Soul was completely white, her grey silver eyes wide with fright. Melanie's red face on the other hand glared at Mia and Marc.

Like an angry cloud Ian stormed over to Marc. Getting right into Marc's face he pointed down to where Mia sat and snapped in a thundering voice, "What the hell!? Do you know what she tried to do to Wanda?"

Keeping his voice as mild as possible Marc replied, "I've got a pretty good idea." He glanced into the small room again and saw Wanda was cradling her right arm. Looking back to Ian the man's dark blue eyes were still enraged. Meeting Ian's angry glare Marc tried to calm the situation. "I'm sorry. I tried to make sure we handled Mia before she met you and the others. Unfortunately she slipped past me."

"You just happen to have a knife wielding psycho child running around here?" spat Ian.

"Mia not a child, dummy," said Mia from the floor. "I'm twelve," she paused and considered, "or thirteen, depends on what mood I'm in."

Ian glared down at Mia and said, "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Mia looked up at Ian and grinned, "Lots of things!"

By now between Wanda's scream and Ian's fight with Mia everyone in the hideout was filling into the narrow hallway trying to see what had happened. As they clustered around a low murmur of voices rose as they regarded Ian and then Wanda and Melanie. Mia's odd behavior was old news to the members of Marc's community, but their new guests were not and many tried to see what had happened. Marc saw Nate and Lacey at front of the crowd, both clearly concerned about the attack. He didn't see the other Soul, Marc guessed he was staying away from the crowd of Humans in the hallway.

"Move!" called a voice from the crowd and people in the back began to part. An irritated looking Simon pushed his way through the small mob of people and then regarded Mia sitting on the floor. Sighing he asked, "Did she bite or stab someone?"

Marc tilted his head towards the supply room and Simon turned into room. Simon looked Wanda over with a glance and shook his head slowly. "Should have known," he said with a grimace. Simon bent down but Melanie blocked him from getting a good look at Wanda. Exasperated he said, "I'm a doctor, just want to make sure she's okay." Melanie reluctantly let go of Wanda so Simon could check the small woman.

Noticing Kate among the others, Marc gestured to the bronze skinned woman. "Can you get her out of here?" as he indicated Mia on the floor. Kate walked over and touched Mia on the shoulder. The girl had continued to stare at Wanda the entire time, her face unreadable. When she noticed Kate she smiled and said, "Come to watch the fun Sister Kate?"

"Yeah, sure Mia," said Kate as she pulled the girl up. Mia offered no resistance to Kate and her earlier rage had vanished completely. As she stood up she waved at Wanda and in a sunny voice which made it sound as if the two were best of friends said, "Bye Bright Eyes, see you soon." Marc could see Wanda shudder as Mia left down the hallway.

Attempting to enter the small room to see how Wanda was faring, Marc found his path blocked by Ian. He was soon joined by Melanie, both of them acting as a shield for Wanda. They didn't say a word, they didn't need to speak as their anger and betrayal was crystal clear on their faces. Marc inwardly cringed, wondering how they might be able to further screw things up. Melanie hissed out angrily, "Would you please explain who," she gestured to Mia down the hall, "or what she's supposed to be?"

"That," said Marc with a tired sigh, "is Mia."

"Why did she attack Wanda?" questioned Melanie.

Marc paused while trying the best way to explain the girl. There really wasn't a simple explanation, so Marc began at the start. "Mia is our wild child. We found her down in the tunnels alone a few years back. She was starving to death and frankly crazy as a half drowned cat. She was ranting about bizarre things and she nearly bit my finger off when I tried to offer her some food."

Scott joined the conversation, "We were eventually able to get her back to our sanctuary. For a while she didn't say or do anything, just sat staring at the walls. We almost had given up on her when she started talking again. Told us her name was Mia and she didn't remember anything else. We found she…could be a bit erratic. Sometimes a little violent…she stabbed me with a fork once. "

Most of people in the hallway began to wander back to their rooms. They knew of Mia's discovery and seemed willing to give the newcomers some space. As the crowds thinned Burns appeared in the hallway, the tall red-haired Soul glanced nervously at the remaining Humans. Soon only the six visitors, Simon, Marc and Scott remained.

"Why do you keep her around?" glowered Ian.

Marc frowned and bit his tongue stopping himself swearing at Ian. After a moment he said tightly, "Well I don't know how you do things from where you come from, but here we don't push kids out on the street. If you'd take a minute to pay attention to something other than your girlfriend you'll notice the general population isn't too friendly to us humans."

Ian's jaw clenched and his face grew even redder. He began to snap out an angry reply when Wanda's voice stopped him. "Ian, please…Mia is part of their family," she said in a quivering voice from where she sat while Simon examined her. Marc now saw Wanda did have a cut on her arm and Simon was applying some CLEAN and HEAL to the wound.

Wanda's words caused Ian to bite back some of his anger, and he let out an angry sigh. He looked to his partner and said irritably, "Doesn't mean she can go around attacking you."

Marc watched Wanda and saw her eyes were not angry, only sad. He lowered himself down until he was level with the sitting Soul and spoke to her directly. "Wanda, I am sorry Mia attacked you. As Mia lived with us we found she would react…badly when Souls were around. We kept her away from the few Soul allies we had so she wouldn't cause problems. I am sorry I wasn't able for you."

"Why is she like this around Souls?" asked Melanie.

"Do you really need to ask?" piped up Lacey from the hallway. "It's surprising something like this doesn't happen more often." This earned the small woman scowls from Ian and Melanie.

As Simon finished with Wanda's wound he spoke up, "The kid's got all the classic symptoms of deep physical and mental trauma." He hesitated and added, "Also she has that weird insertion scar on her neck."

Wanda turned in surprise to Simon and asked, "She was a host?"

"Don't know," answered the doctor, "the scar is not a small thin line like yours but almost gash across her neck. My theory is she was in the middle of an insertion operation and something went wrong. The process interrupted which left her with damaged memory and a very hostile reaction to Souls. Of course I'm making an educated guess, still a lot about Soul/Host physiology I don't know."

Wanda regarded Simon, thinking about the man's theory; suddenly she brightened and said with a small smile, "You are Simon Jansky, the human who found the cure for the plague."

Simon eyed her for a moment as he collected his medical supplied and then shrugged. "Yeah," he said gruffly, "I suppose I am…You part of my fan club?"

"You saved many lives, both Human and Soul." Wanda bowed her head and continued, "You should be honored for what you have done. You have proved to my kind humans aren't the monsters we believed."

Simon sighed and stood up. With a shake of his head he said, "Don't put me on some type of pedestal. I made the cure to save my wife…everything else was just a distant second."

This brought confused looks from both the Human and Soul guests. Simon paid no attention to their stares and he grunted, "See ya at dinner," to both Scott and Marc. He walked away down the hallway without another word.

"Simon is a little rough around the edges, but he'll always take care of someone in need," said Scott trying to give explanation to the others. Melanie and Wanda only grew more confused from Scott's explanation.

Marc was about to get back up but then thought again. They didn't need to hold this off any longer. With a sigh of his own he sat down next to the two women and said, "Maybe it's time we clear up some things." He glanced up to Ian and the others still standing. They all took the hint and sat down forming a semi-circle with Ian, Wanda, and Melanie on one side and Nate, Burns, and Lacey on the other. Scott and Marc sat in the center.

Clearing his throat Marc began their impromptu meeting, "I'm not sure what you've been told about the plague or our roles in curing it. From what little I've heard the Souls are giving the basic details out, but they also down play our roles. Saying we only helped because we wanted to help ourselves." The others nodded and Marc continued, "Well the truth is, yes we did want to cure ourselves of the disease. We were thinking of our own self-interest, but that doesn't mean we're willing to help the Souls." Marc looked down sadly and said, "When the outbreak was raging here, it was bad…very bad for everyone."

Burns pointed at Nate and spoke up softly, "After we heard about the outbreak, I spoke by telephone and email with as many Healers in the area as I could. I told them I was a reporter and I was investigating the plague. Many simply confirmed what we heard from the news, but a few gave more details. They said you traded your antibiotics to help all the sick. That Simon worked with the Healers to find a permanent cure. I think it is misleading to say you only thought of yourselves during the crisis."

"Well, there is a minor detail you don't know about," explained Scott. "Simon's wife Annie, or more correctly Crystal Spires the Soul inhabiting Annie, was the chief Healer during the plague."

Surprised looks dawned on all their visitor's faces and Marc nodded with a grim smile. "Simon had lost Annie to the Seekers a few years back. He had no idea as a Soul she was heading up the Healers in the city and Crystal Spires thought Simon was dead. Either dumb luck," he said quietly, "or twist of fate brought those two back together. It was Crystal Spires who helped forge the truce, in no small part because of her reunion with Simon."

"And Crystal Spires became ill and Simon found the cure?" asked Melanie.

"Well…not quite," answered Marc. "You see Simon did cure Crystal Spires, but withheld the cure from the rest of Souls and forced Crystal Spires to give back Annie."

"He forced Crystal Spires to skip," said Wanda with wide eyes.

"Yep," replied Scott. "I understand that's a pretty bad thing in your guy's society, to force another Soul into leaving a host. So you can see there is a bit of truth to both sides of the story. We did try to help everyone, but some of us had a few selfish reasons as well." Scott shrugged and smiled ruefully at both Souls and added, "Just part of being human I guess."

Wanda hung her and said in a soft sad voice, "Yes, there is a stigma among my kind about leaving a host. Skipping is frowned upon and to force another…" She trailed off sighing, after a moment she looked back up with her own rueful smile and said, "I have done the same when I removed the Seeker from Lacey and Summer Song from Candy." She paused for a moment and then continued her voice firm as she looked over her friends, "But I do not regret my actions and I understand Simon's. What we do for the ones we love makes it right."

"I think it's safe to say most of the Souls wouldn't agree with you," said Marc. Wanda nodded slowly in agreement. "Also a word of warning, Crystal Spires got shipped off world for her role in helping us." He glanced at both Wanda and Burns, "I figure if the Seekers find out about you two, you would have a similar fate." Both Souls nodded at Marc statement, knowing the truth in his warning.

"Now while we're getting everything out in the open I need to understand what," and Marc pointed at Ian, Melanie, Lacey, and Nate, "you guys are hoping to achieve. We've met with the Quorum for the last three days with the hope we can get the Souls to let the thirty of us continue to live here."

Marc paused and continued with a grumble, "And let me tell you it's been an uphill battle the entire time. I am questioned on everything and anything. What do you think the Souls are going to do when I say, 'Oh by the way, I've got a few dozen more Humans in Arizona and Colorado who would like to live without getting wiped out.'"

The four humans exchanged looks, not knowing how to answer Marc's question. But Burns frowned slight and said, "Marc, you are dealing with the Quorum which manages the area of Chicago and the surrounding area. There are different Quorums for our homes."

"Well that's not any better," exclaimed Scott. "What, did you expect us to go to each Quorum on the planet and make the case for better treatment of remaining Humans?" Scott paused with a sudden thought and then asked, "Is there some sort of Super Quorum or something managing all the Souls? Maybe we need to talk with them."

Wanda smiled and then answered, "No, we've never needed such large governing bodies. We have nothing like a Congress or a President." She shrugged her small shoulders, "We find making group decisions very easy, at least most of the time." She twirled some of her springy blond hair through her fingers lost in thought.

After a few seconds of consideration Wanda continued, "Marc and Scott, perhaps I need to better explain the process. You see if one Quorum finds an idea or policy which is beneficial and useful other Quorums will soon adopt the same idea. This is why it is important you succeed with your discussions."

"Wait," said Marc slowly as understanding sparked in his brain, "Your saying if I am able to reach a peace agreement with my Quorum, I am effectively making peace with all other Quorums? Making peace between our two races?" He stared wide-eyed at Wanda, not daring to believe the truth.

"Yes," said Burns and Wanda together.

Marc leaned back against the wall and breathed out slowly, his eyes still wide in disbelief. "Well…damn."

* * *

####

* * *

"Our perishable food supplies have fallen to fifteen percent. Non-perishable supplies are just above twenty-five percent," said Alex as he read off a list of resources available to the Facility. Around him a harsh number of whispers arouse as department heads unhappily reflected on the news.

Alex sat next to Major Ashby in another one of his endless meetings. The Major always let Alex report on any bad news, reserving announcement of good news for himself. Alex guessed Ashby saw it as a matter of politics. If the Major was the one to always report on successful operations or a completed Recovery everyone would associate the Major with success, even though the man himself had nothing to do with the real success.

"I thought we planned on acquiring more supplies while the infection ran its course. The parasites would have been too distracted to notice our activities," said Director Lance. The heavy-set man from the research arm of the Facility glowered at Alex as if the lack of supplies were Alex's fault.

"My men did recover supplies," snapped Director Smith from the other side of the room. His skinny frame shook with anger. "But as you noticed the infection only gave us a week of disruption. We were promised at least a month of distraction from your division. There was only so much my men can do with the time available."

"That's hardly our fault," said Lance defensively. "We ran every conceivable test with the worms' medicine. All of them showed it would take weeks to adjust their nanotechnology to successfully beat the infection."

"And yet you never tried it against our simple old antibiotics," replied the thin Directory of Resources, pointing an accusing finger at Lance. Alex sighed to himself, tired of hearing this old argument.

"How was I supposed to know a group of what has been charitably called a street gang would actually help those damn bugs," shot back the large man.

There were more irritated whispers around the room. Everyone in the Facility knew of the Human hold outs in Chicago and their action during the infection. Alex felt his own anger rise as well at their mention. He listened with Major Ashby more than a month ago as reports arrived showing the infection cured and the surprising source of the cure. He had stood stupefied, not understanding how any human would willingly come to the aid of the aliens who destroyed Humanity.

"We should have contacted them before releasing the infection," spoke up Doctor Dobson. "The rebels in Chicago would have helped us if we had only told them our plans." The grey haired woman pointed a finger at Major Ashby and continued, "You stopped us from making contact with them."

"Enough!" bit out Ashby like a snap of a whip. The others in the room fell silent at their leader's one word command. Red faced Major Ashby slowly let out a deep breath, his anger slowly draining. After calming he said in a low even tone, "Doctor, let me be clear, we faced far too many risks revealing ourselves to any group. What we've accomplished here, what we've managed to learn about the parasites is too important for us risk losing."

"More importantly we've learned these people hiding in Chicago developed…let us say…unhealthy attachment to some of the parasites. They considered a few of these worms as their friends." Ashby glared at the old doctor and said, "Regardless of what you think they would not have helped us."

The older woman looked away, not wanting to meet the Major's eyes. After Ashby was certain no one else wanted to challenge him he began to outline the plans to recover their food supplies. Alex paid little attention. Major Ashby presented the plan as his own, but in reality Alex was the one who developed the plan. Instead Alex watched the other directors in the room. All of them shared the same blank expression while Ashby talked, all of them tired and stressed for their long struggle. No wonder most of their recent meetings devolved into shouting matches between department heads.

Major Ashby concluded the meeting. The other directors slowly rose and almost mechanically filed out of the room. Alex gathered his notes and prepared to leave himself when Ashby indicated he wanted Alex to wait. Sitting Alex forced himself to stay calm. He needed to get down to the lower level of the Facility soon. He had his own meeting to attend.

Ashby closed his door to his office and stalked back to his desk. As he walked he grumbled out, "Jennifer is becoming quite the pain in these meetings. She almost always criticizes my decisions."

"She was never comfortable with releasing the infection," said Alex neutrally. "Most doctors will balk at the use of bio-weapons."

Ashby dismissed Alex's explanation with a wave of his hand. "That woman has gone through more test subjects than many mass murderers. We all have blood on our hands; it's no time to become squeamish." Alex nodded, finding himself surprised he agreed with the Major for once.

Interrupting his thoughts, Major Ashby asked, "Alex, where were you yesterday?"

Alex cringed at the question and Ashby's eyes narrowed. "I went looking for you yesterday. I found your little girlfriend. I had assumed you were with Susan. But she told me a surprising story, how you were working on a special project for me." Ashby fixed Alex with a patronizing smile and added, "Imagine my surprise; I had no idea you were working for me on your day off."

Alex shoulders slumped, realizing his lies were catching up to him. He should have been more careful when speaking to Susan. Convince her to cover for him if Ashby came looking for him. He stared at his boss, wishing he had more time to prepare his plan before Ashby found him out.

"Alex," said Ashby sternly, "what have you been doing? Where have you been going?"

Tension flowed off Alex like a wave. He realized the Major didn't know everything, not yet. Ashby only knew he was lying to Susan and hiding from him. If the man actually knew what Alex was planning he would likely be in front of a firing squad now. Alex's mind raced to build a convincing story for the Major.

Taking a deep breath Alex began his lie, "Sir, I'm sorry. I just told Susan I was working for you yesterday…I just needed some space and time to myself."

"Alex, you've been distracted a lot lately. Late for your shifts, missing meetings," questioned Ashby. Alex let his eyes fall, and nodded his head sadly. Major Ashby relented and spoke in gentler voice, "Now I know you're not military like most of the people here at the facility. But you can't be shrinking from your responsibility, not now. We are so close."

Allowing Ashby to chastise him Alex kept his head low. "Yes sir," said Alex in a quiet voice.

"Go on," said Ashby. "Find your girlfriend and have a good time. But I'm going to need you fresh on Monday. We'll be very busy."

Alex meekly nodded again and rose. Walking slowly to the door of Major Ashby's office Alex stopped before opening the door and said, "Thank you sir, I won't let you down."

Ashby simply nodded and Alex walked out into the Facility's hallways. Alex checked his watch and broke into a jog. He was late and there was much to do. Major Ashby was becoming suspicious and Alex knew his time was short.

* * *

####

* * *

"When Max met Burns here for the first time I thought his eyes were going to pop right out of his skull," said Nate to the small group of men at the dining table. Burns sat next to him and made a face at his friend's statement. "Nate," began the Soul, "I wish you wouldn't tell the story as if someone's eyes' bursting was a good thing." This brought laughter from Dell, Ian, Scott and the others at the table.

Dinner was long over and the newcomers were quickly making friends with the members of the rebel clan in Chicago. Melanie sat talking with Kate and a few others at the other end of the table about living in the caves in Arizona. Across the way Annie and Lacey spoke quietly, discussing their time as hosts.

Marc sat watching the two groups talk, laugh, and swap stories when Wanda sat down next him. The little Soul woman had recovered quickly from Mia's attack and was smiling as she watched the others relax on this Saturday evening.

"It's going well," remarked Wanda to Marc.

"Yeah," said Marc with a big smile, "We're bunch of fun once you get past our more hostile members."

Wanda regarded him and she hesitantly asked, "What will you do with Mia? I don't want her to suffer because of me…" Wanda trailed off as Marc strongly shook his head.

"Wanda, I promise you will be safe. Mia is a handful, but she knows how to behave. I will speak with her tonight," replied Marc. He sat for a moment and then added with a note of warning in his voice, "But for now just keep close to Ian. I have a feeling he won't trust Mia anytime soon."

"I don't believe I will have a problem with your request," replied Wanda, her pale skin turning a faint shade of pink as she spoke. Marc noticed the Soul woman always seemed to blush when she was around the tall dark-haired man. He decided to ask which had bothered him.

"So you and Ian…" began Marc.

Wanda arched a thin eyebrow and asked, "Do you disapprove?"

"Not I," declared Marc. He looked up to the cracked celling of the dining hall, lost in his thoughts before looking back at Wanda. "Some people here might. Mind you I'm a strange duck when it comes to Soul relationships. Autumn Gusting Wind…was nearly a mother to me."

"I am sorry for your loss and that I didn't get the chance to meet her," said Wanda gently.

"It's all right, I've made my peace." replied Marc with a slight tightness in his voice. Glancing over to Ian sitting with the others Marc mused, "I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. Stranger things have been known to happen." He drifted off, thinking about a certain blond-haired Seeker. _'Impossible…'_ he told himself.

"It's a strange universe," said Wanda interrupting his thoughts.

Marc shrugged dismissing his thoughts and said, "It is indeed."

* * *

####

* * *

Eric sat at his computer watching a march of numbers cross his screen. He had retired early from dinner and returned to his room to work. Their community's visitors were drawing everyone's attention and Eric did want to speak further with Nate. The man had some interesting ideas about long-range communication between rebel cells which intrigued Eric. But for now Eric had more pressing issues.

Pressing several keys on his computer he pulled up a new window and watched a real-time stream of encrypted date. "Now where are you going?" he said to himself.

Ever since his hack on the Seeker's network a month before the aliens had greatly increased their security. They now used a form of encryption Eric had never seen before. The data being sent by the Seekers across the internet resisted Eric's ever effort to decrypt.

While Eric couldn't read the data being sent, the Seekers still used the Human's telecommunication systems, which meant Eric could see who they were communicating with. Normally most of their traffic was between themselves, usually from one Seeker headquarters to another. But recently the Seekers had sent a lot of data to Atlanta Georgia. Eric wanted to know why.

Eric's trace route across the internet completed and he frowned at the results. He typed a few command to resolve the internet address to an actual physical address. The results only further confused him.

Out loud he asked, "Why are the Seekers talking to the Center for Disease Control?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well the stage is set, the players are in place...and everything falls down next chapter.
> 
> -Walker


	12. Collapse

The semi-trailer truck slowly backed into the loading dock of the cryotank storage facility. Once in place the driver shutdown the engine and waited patiently. Within minutes the loading dock door opened and a work crew began to slowly load crates on to the trailer. The group of Souls very carefully loaded the crates, each crate filled with cryotanks.

The cryotanks loaded by the Souls were filled with their kind who decided to move on to another world and another life on the Mist Planet. The shipment delayed a few days as a female Soul decided to give herself to motherhood. Many of her newborn offspring were carefully packed into cryotanks and with extraordinary care placed for transport.

After the trailer was filled the driver slowly pulled out of the loading dock caring his precious cargo to the O'Hare airport. With a full load the driver would be extra careful. All the crates carrying cryotanks, except one…which carried something far different.

* * *

####

* * *

"Good Monday morning Seeker Bright Moon on Fallen Snow," said a smiling Marc Walters as he stepped off the elevator. Bright Moon blinked a few time in surprise by how cheerful Marc appeared at seeing her. She slowly and shyly smiled herself, finding herself rather pleased to see him as well. Her fellow Seekers around her looked on with confusion at their interaction.

"Have a good weekend?" asked Marc as he stepped up to face her.

"Yes," she answered nodding to Marc, but then trailed off, uncertain what to say in response. Finally she said, "Did you have a good weekend?"

"Did indeed," replied Marc. "Did some brainstorming on Sunday on how we can make these peace talks work. Got some good ideas…you should listen in today."

From behind him, still in the elevator, Scott was struggling with a large set of binders. The files tied together with rope in two sets each, six binders to each set. He managed to move one set off the elevator when the other set came apart sending papers everywhere in the elevator's cab. "Marc" began Scott in an irritated voice, "do I look like I'm your butler? Get over here and help me with this stuff."

"Sure, not a problem," replied Marc not letting Scott's irritation impact his good mood. He moved back to the elevator and began assisting Scott with moving the files. In short order the two men collected all the papers and returned them to some sort of order.

Seeker Simple Sunlight approached Bright Moon while she watched the Humans and asked perplexed, "What was that all about?"

"I don't know…Marc said something about a new idea for peace. I suppose all those papers have something to do with their plans," answered Bright Moon.

"Marc Walters…seemed happy to see you," continued Simple Sunlight with a slight frown. "Why is this?"

Bright Moon didn't know what to say to her colleague. She had told no one of her excursion with Marc to the roof of the Hotel Rose. She was still uncertain how she felt about their time together. As she watched Marc and Scott carry their belongings out of the elevator she found, to her surprise, she didn't want to tell Simple Sunlight about her activities with Marc. This brought on a feeling of shame as she actually contemplating lying to her fellow Seeker.

However Simple Sunlight didn't wait for her reply. She shrugged and said, "Humans can be so bizarre, who can say why they do anything."

Bright Moon nodded numbly as she and the other Seekers followed after the two Humans heading to the meeting room with the Quorum. She forced herself to focus on her duties and stop thinking about Marc. As they entered the room she took up position with the other Seekers in the security detail which hovered near the two humans.

Officially the security she and the other Seekers provided ensured the meeting was safe for all those attending. In reality Bright Moon understood the Seekers were present to watch and restrain the humans if they became violent towards the members of the Quorum. Her past assumptions about Human violence had faded and she felt this was unlikely to occur. But Seeker Skyward Into Night insisted the security was needed. Marc and Scott had initially been annoyed with the Seekers constant presence, but they soon adapted and now they hardly noticed her or the other Seekers as they sat down. Bright Moon decided to stand on the other side of Scott, putting as much distance between her and Marc so there was little chance he could affect her as before.

With the Humans seated other members of the Quorum began to file into the room. Healer Long Rivers and Educator Dry Sands on the Plain came in talking with each other. They both stopped and briefly spoke with the two Humans. Of all the members of the Quorum these two were most open to the talks with the Humans, reflected Bright Moon. Other members quickly filed in, but she didn't see Skyward Into the Night. Bright Moon wondered why the Head Seeker was late. He was always promptly on time to their meetings in the past.

Finally Skyward Into the Night entered the room with Seeker Twice Fires close behind him. The Seeker narrowed his eyes as he saw Marc and Scott sitting at the table. He promptly sat down with Seeker Twice Fires standing directly behind him. Bright Moon started with surprise when she looked at Twice Fires. He was actively glaring at the two Humans, his entire body stiff with anger. She had never seen him so livid, how could a Soul be so angry?

Comforter Benjamin began to speak to bring the meeting to order when Skyward spoke up, cutting off the Soul. "Apologies Comforter Benjamin, but I must interrupt our normal proceedings. I move to postpone our current agenda with Humans while I present the Quorum with new information.

Around the table there were confused and surprise looks on the other member's faces. Skyward's actions were very odd and no one had ever interrupted the normal actions of the meeting before. Bright Moon watched as Marc's smile faded and he watched Skyward closely.

Comforter Benjamin recovered from his surprise and began again. "Seeker Skyward," said the Comforter in a slow even tone, "could you explain what you mean by new information?"

"It is better for me to show, than explain," said the Seeker. He nodded to Twice Fires and the large man began handing out a set of his own binders. Twice Fires went around the room giving each member of the Quorum a copy. When he arrived at Marc and Scott, he placed the binder in front of the two humans with an audible smack. Bright Moon heard Scott mumble, "Well someone is awful cranky."

Curious Bright Moon leaned in closer and read the title of the file over Scott's shoulder. In large bold words the heading on the front page read – _"Analysis of Chicago Plague Pathogen"_

Scott opened the file and began to read. Around the room other members of the Quorum paged through the documents. A slow but steadily rising soft murmur of voices spread among the Souls as they read. Vermilion of the Artistry calling was the first to speak up. "Seeker, I don't understand," said the warm faced woman whose usual wide smile faltered as she spoke, "Why does the report say the bacteria which caused the plague is artificial?"

"Because," said Skyward looking straight at Marc and Scott, "it is a synthetic bacteria."

The quite talk around the room went silent in a heartbeat. All eyes turned to the two humans. Marc's earlier easy-going attitude was now gone and he stared back at Skyward with scowl on his face. Marc spoke clearly, if not calmly to the Souls, "I feel like I'm being accused of something here. But you'll forgive me if I'm not as quick as the rest of you. Never did finish biology in high school."

Long Rivers looked up Marc, before the Healer had been quickly flipping through the documents with a pained look on his face. Now he spoke in grave voice, "Marc, the paper outlines a full-scale analysis of the bacteria. It outlines the genetic structure of the bacteria's genome. There are distinctive markers in the DNA which point to the bacteria being genetically engineered."

Silence filled the room and then Marc asked in very quiet voice, "Who made it?"

"Is it not obvious," said Twice Fires with voice filled with disdain towards the two men, "Humans."

Bright Moon leaned back away from the Marc and Scott as though repelled by an unseen force. The soft murmuring returned to the other Souls, but not as softly as before. Now there were confused looks between Quorum members and frightened glances towards the Humans.

Scott's voice cut above the rising discourse quickly filling the room. "Not this again," said Scott pointing a finger at Twice Fires. "When the plague was rolling you were blaming us for disease. I told you it would take a laboratory and equipment to make the disease, stuff we don't have."

"I didn't say you created the plague, only that Humans are responsible," shot back Twice Fires.

"How?" spat Scott, "Like I said, it takes laboratories, equipment, and scientists to do something like this. What humans, anywhere on the planet, have those resources?"

"Are you saying we created the plague?" asked Twice Fires in disgust. Other Souls around the room shook their heads. Bright Moon found herself shaking her head with the others, it would be impossible for a Soul to create such a disease.

"Consider," said Skyward in a slow deliberate speech, "a disease which resists our medicine, which can affect both host and Soul. How could such a disease naturally occur? I asked the Soul Healers at the Center for Disease and Control to study the bacteria and find out where it had come from. They confirmed both mine and Seeker Twice Fires' suspicions. The plague which killed more than ten thousand Souls was a weapon used by Humans against us."

Now many voices spoke at once, a confused jumble of voices talking over one another, something so rare for the Souls to do. Healer Long Rivers asking why he was not consulted by the Seekers, Builder Ice Cleaver wanting to know what exact resources needed to produce the engineered weapon, while Comforter Benjamin tried to restore order to the meeting.

Bright Moon stood stunned, staring at Marc as the man sat at the table with a blank expression on his face. As Souls spoke to each other he slowly stood. A rising panic began to build in Bright Moon as she watched Marc begin to speak.

"You son-of-a-bitch," said Marc in the coldest voice she had ever heard him use. His voice cut through all other discussions in the room fell silent. He was pointing directly at Seeker Skyward, his finger quivering with rage.

"You've tried everything you could to derail these peace talks, you've undermined me every chance you get," said Marc in a low angry voice. "And when that didn't work you pulled out this report and blame the plague on us."

Skyward cocked his head and said with a tight smile, "Do you think we're lying about this report?"

"I think it's real convenient you just brought this report up now. How long were you holding it back?" snapped Marc. Whispers between the Quorum members started again as they looked between Human and Seeker.

"On the contrary," said Seeker Twice Fires disdainfully, "We didn't originally think this outbreak was a manufacture pathogen. We believed some Human resistant group found the disease and released it in the city. We ruled out all possibilities before looking for an artificial source of the bacteria. It is truly disturbing to think there is a group of Humans out there with such facilities."

"And we're being blamed?" asked Marc his voice rising.

"It is…unlikely you are the creators of this plague," said Skyward evenly. "But I must confess I find it interesting your Healer was the first to find the cure. Many Healers with lifetimes of experience worked towards the cure, but a simple Human discovered the answer. Almost as if he knew how the disease worked all along."

Marc slammed his fist down on the table. The entire table lurched from the blow and the Souls around the table jumped as well. "We lost good people to this damn plague!" yelled Marc, now truly enraged. "And believe it or not the people we lost weren't all human."

Bright Moon saw other Seekers around Marc were slowly inching closer to the human, their hands going to SLEEP and PEACE dispensers on their belts. But she stood completely still, her body not able to move one inch.

Seeker Skyward simply shrugged and spoke to the other Quorum members, "Humans lie."

"So do Seekers!" roared Marc.

"Not to our own kind," said Comforter Benjamin softly. He looked around the room and the other Souls sat pale and numb from exchange between Marc and Skyward. "Considering this new information, I move we suspend talks with the Humans until we can fully evaluate the ramifications of this report."

"Seconded," said Skyward with a smug smile on his face.

Marc didn't wait for the vote. He spun around with Scott following and saw how close the Seekers were to him and Scott. Saw how their hands reached for their dispensers on their belts and he said in a low dangerous voice, "I won't if I were you. You do anything to either one of us, my people will make good on our threat to send out how to yank you bastards out."

"Marc, we will not go back on our agreement. You and Scott have safe passage from this building," said Skyward from behind him. "We honor our agreements, even with those who are barely above savages." Skyward said the last sentence softly and calmly like any Soul would, but somehow his hate still managed to find its way into every word he spoke.

Every muscle on Marc's body went ridged with rage, but he said nothing. The look on Marc's face was so dark, so threatening, several of the Seekers took a step back at seeing the Human's face. But when he looked to Bright Moon the anger wilted and only sadness in his eyes remained.

Then Marc spoke in a voice so low Bright Moon had to strain to hear him, "I did not do this and none of my people had anything to do with making the plague, we only wanted to help." Before she could make any attempt at answering Marc both men walked out the door with the other Seekers trailing after them.

Upon the Humans departure several Souls gave shaky sighs. Nervous glances between each member of the Quorum were slowly replaced with disbelief, confusion, and disappointment. Seeker Skyward spoke in a soft reassuring voice, "I move we have a short recess while we collect ourselves and prepare for the rest of the meeting."

The proposal was quickly approved and the Souls slowly filtered out of the room. Bright Moon found herself alone with Seeker Skyward Into the Night. He walked over to her with an apologetic look on his face. She began to speak, but he held up a hand and she bobbed her head and let him go first.

"I am sorry Seeker Bright Moon on Fallen Snow you had to witness…that distasteful display and I'm sorry I didn't let you know about our suspicions earlier. We had to keep the information about the plague's true nature under wraps until we were certain. If the information had gotten out," Skyward made a pained look on his face, "it would have caused panic among the population."

A long moment passed between them and she hesitantly asked, "Do you believe Marc's people knew all long about the disease?"

Skyward nodded slowly once and said, "You told me before that Marc Walters represented a new type of insurgent. One who would disorient us, confuse us, and then strike." He gestured around the room and continued, "And would you not classify everything which happened in the last month exactly as you described?"

"But…" she whispered.

Skyward touched her arm gently and smiled. "I apologize for not believing you before and I'll make sure to listen to your instincts in the future." He smiled again and then continued out of the room to speak with the other Seekers, leaving her alone in the room.

"But I was wrong," she said sadly to herself.

* * *

####

* * *

The semi-truck pulled up close to the spaceship to allow for easy unloading. The driver shutdown the rig and got out of cab. The midday sun shone down on the wide body of the ship as the driver walked over to the crew preparing to offload the truck. He handed them the required paper work and they began to offload the truck.

Taking care like the workers before they carefully loaded the crates onto the ship. Each crate's contents carefully checked to make sure they would be safe and secure for the flight into space. As they worked another crew carefully reviewed the spaceship's systems to make sure the craft would safely carry its precious cargo on its long flight.

While the Souls carefully checked the crates for delivery, none noticed one particular crate and its cryotanks were different. The Souls could hardly be blamed for failing to notice. The changes were very small on the outside. The red light still glowed softly on the outside lid, indicating everything was normal. Without opening these cryotanks they would never see the high yield explosives contained inside.

 

* * *

####

* * *

Mia dashed through the darkness of the tunnel. Only a very faint light from high above managed to filter its way down into this part of the storm tunnels. She truly didn't need the light at all. She, like the rest of her brothers and sisters knew how to navigate the maze of tunnels blindfolded if needed.

The tunnel slopped down sharply and Mia slowed to a near crawl. Here multiple smaller tunnels running from the streets above meet up and feed into a larger sewage tunnel running towards one of the water treatment plants north of the city. Dank cold water rushed down the sewage tunnel and only a narrow slippery ledge provided room for Mia to walk.

Falling in wasn't too bad reflected Mia as she moved along the tunnel. Usually the water was only knee-high and while it was cold and smelly it wasn't hard to pull yourself out. When learning the tunnel for the first time Mia had fallen in several times until Brother Marc had shown her how to step correctly on the slippery cement and prevent her from falling.

Mia stopped and remembered the day she spent with Marc as he taught her to move and navigate the tunnels. It was the first time she could remember being happy, the first time feeling like she belonged somewhere.

Memory was a strange thing for Mia. Some memories were crystal clear to her, like a photograph in her mind she could look at and recall every single detail. Other memories were tricky, sometimes she remembered a place or event one way and if she tried to remember it again the memory would be different. She wasn't sure how she knew the memories were different, but somehow she was sure. Still other memories were nothing but a dark void, an empty gap where bad things lived. Mia didn't like thinking about those memories

Watching the flowing water pass by Mia felt herself get angry again. Remembering fun times with her brothers and sisters down in the tunnels hurt. No one came to play in the tunnels anymore; they all hid in their new home. Mia hated the new home with the dull grey green walls. There was nothing to do and no games to play.

They had a fine home once, but they had to leave because of the bright eyes. They had to hide because of the bright eyes. And now two bright eyes had shown up and everyone invited them in to stay. Mia couldn't understand it. Why didn't anyone feel the same way she did when bright eyes came near? Didn't anyone else feel their skin crawl like hundreds of bugs were running under their skin? Every time she came close to them, especially the small blond-haired one, she felt like she was going to rip her own skin off.

Mia grabbed a loose piece of stone from the wall of the tunnel and pulled it free. She tossed it a few times in her hand and then threw it as hard as she could. It splash down in the fast-moving water, the ripples quickly disappearing in the rushing stream. She didn't like running away, but she needed to put some distance between her and the bright eyes.

Mia had gotten into a lot of trouble with all her brothers and sisters when she attacked the blond-haired bright eye. Brother Marc had been so angry with her. She hadn't really planned on hurting bright eyes Wanda too much, just enough to make her run away. Most bright eyes got scared easy. But both bright eyes stayed and somehow her family liked them. It was just too much for Mia and she made plans to run away.

There was a distant splash down the tunnel and Mia sighed to herself. Well she had almost gotten away cleanly. Too bad Brother Tim had followed her.

"Brother Tim," called Mia into the darkness, "I know it's you. Come out and play!"

A flash of light lit up a spot further down the tunnel and Tim made his way down the narrow path to Mia. The older boy grumbled when reached her, "Mia, what are you doing? You're supposed to stay home."

Tim's small flashlight lit up Mia standing with hands on her small hips with a defiant grin. "Running away, want to come?"

Tim rolled his eyes at her, "Com'on let's go back."

"No!" screamed Mia.

Tim groaned in frustration and said, "Mia, stop being stupid. Where are you going to go?"

Mia sat down on the dirty ledge and folded her arms. "I don't know," she replied crossly, "maybe Mia just pick a tunnel at random and live there. Mia can take care of herself."

Exasperated Tim regarded the younger girl and then looked back the way he had come. He looked like he was trying to make up his mind. Finally he sighed and sat down next to Mia. "Why are you leaving?"

"Cause of the bright eyes," said Mia.

"Wanda and Burns? They're not so bad. I'm sure they'll stay away from you after what you did to Wanda," replied Tim with a shrug.

"I wanted her to go away, her and the tall one." In a near whine she said, "Why did they have to stay?"

Tim sighed again and was about to reply when he stopped. His head snapped to the right and then left as he looked down the dark tunnel. Then Mia heard it as well, sound of someone walking down the narrow ledge.

The sound echoed up and down in the tunnel making it difficult to tell which direction the footsteps came, but both Mia and Tim were skilled at making out sounds in the tunnels. Tim pointed to the right and Mia nodded. Then with a flick Tim turned his flashlight off and inky darkness filled the tunnel.

Tim took Mia's hand and pulled her up. Uncertain who was in the tunnel, neither one of them going to take a chance and they moved along as fast as they could on the ledge away from the footsteps. They were closer now and Mia could tell it was more than one person moving in the tunnel

Mia counted their steps in her head as they moved in complete darkness. She always remembered how many steps to take in the tunnels. Another drainage tunnel sloped down to meet the main tunnel on their right and Tim with his free hand felt for the opening of the tunnel. Finding the opening he quickly pulled her in, both of them freezing as the footsteps stopped and then hearing voices.

"I know I heard something," said a voice. The voice belonged to a man, but not one either Mia or Tim knew.

"Damn night vision barely works down here. I'm not seeing anything," said another.

"They're Seekers," whispered Tim.

Mia shook her heard. They were not bright eye Seekers. Bright eyes always came in big groups with lot of lights and made way too much noise. Besides, she didn't feel the creepy crawly feeling under her skin. "Not creeping and crawling," said Mia with a whisper to Tim. "Not bright eyes."

"What!?" said Tim in harsh whisper, "Who else would it be?"

Mia didn't know and had no answer. For long seconds they stood still listening. Finally they heard the first voice say, "It was nothing, let's head back." Mia heard footsteps walking away and Tim risked a look out into the main tunnel. No sooner than he peeked around the corner a man shouted, "Got'em, right side tunnel."

Tim yelped and pulled back into the passageway. Mia could see no lights in the tunnels, but did hear two heavy footsteps heading in their direction. A dark nagging memory began to pull on Mia and she began to tremble, somehow this seemed so familiar. Tim pulled on her and in an excited shout said, "Up the tunnel Mia!"

But Mia was frozen in place. A twisted nightmare of a memory where she was cowering in a dark corner while men in white masks searched for her rooted her to the spot. Tim yanked on her arm in desperation to pull her up the narrow tunnel to escape. Finally Mia snapped out of her trance and started to climb the slippery slope of the narrow tunnel but it was too late.

A large gloved hand clamped down strongly on Mia's shoulder and jerked her back. In the black of the tunnel the men where nothing but formless shapes who grabbed her roughly and tried to pull her hands behind her back. Mia thrashed wildly trying to break free, her legs kicked out and made contact with a body but her blow wasn't strong enough to break her free.

Suddenly a light switched on, illuminating Mia and two men. The men dressed in dark uniforms, but not like anything Mia had seen Seekers ever wear. They wore black armored vests with multiple pouches and pockets, their arms and legs padded with pieces of form-fitting body armor, and their faces completely obscured by a set of high-tech goggles and face mask.

Tim held his flashlight stunned by the sight before him, his light momentarily blinding the two men. Mia kicked again and managed to pull free from one of the men when the one still holding her slammed a fist against her head. She fell to her knees, her vision swimming. She heard Tim scream her name and launch himself at her attacker. The man twisted easily avoiding Tim's blow and backhanded the boy roughly across his jaw. Tim fell into the dark rushing water and he didn't move as the water began to drag his body away.

"Tim!" screamed Mia. But ruthless man above her forced a hand over her mouth. She tried to bite the hand, but the glove protected the hand form her teeth. Another blow landed hard on her head and she crumpled to the ground.

The flashlight still lit up the tunnel but Mia's vision began to fade to darkness. As she faded she heard a harsh voice above her say, "Easy Gray, I want her alive…"

* * *

####

* * *

The spaceship slowly but smoothly lifted off from O'Hare runway into the clear bright sunny day. The ship's two pilots pushed back into their seats as the craft's engines rapidly accelerated the ship. Unlike Human planes and rockets, the ship's flight was smooth and almost silent as it rose. The engines effortlessly drove the craft towards space.

In the cockpit the two pilots oversaw a multitude of instruments and controls as they rose higher into the sky. The ship's computer handled almost all the work of flying the craft and the pilots had little to do but monitor their progress. They had made this trip before and never did a problem occur.

As the ship past one hundred thousand feet and moving nearly fifteen times the speed of sound a tiny switch on the case of modified cryotanks switched on. Within less than a second the explosives in each cryotank detonated.

Cryotanks designed of a strong light alloy found nowhere on Earth. The tanks made to safely shield their occupants from heat, cold, high gravity, and radiation. All dangers of the long distance space travel, designed to protect from the _outside_. The explosion tore the cryotanks apart and turned them into high speed shrapnel.

In a heartbeat the blast ripped through the ship's interior, reducing other crates into debris and slicing through the hull. In the cockpit alarms sprung to life and the computer system desperately tried to compensate for the damage. The computer sent signals to shut down the engines and try to bring the ship down in a controlled glide. The two Soul pilots could barely begin to react when the spaceship began to pitch sideways as one engine shutdown but the other did not. The second engine, badly damaged in the blast didn't respond to the abort command.

The spaceship spun around, once, twice, and the ripped apart in massive explosion high above the Earth. The remains of the ship began to streak down into the lower atmosphere. Cryotanks, already damaged by the first explosion and then further weakened by second, began to come apart. Their occupants burning as they fell.

 


	13. Fallout

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Greetings,  
> First please send me a review or two. Feed back is important and I feel like I'm kind of adrift here lately.  
> Second, this chapter gets pretty dark. Just a warning. And for my long term Mia fans, there is a big reveal at the end of the chapter.
> 
> -Walker

"Telephones…in the sewers?" asked Nate skeptically as Eric picked up the receiver from the old phone in his small bedroom which doubled as his office. Both Nate and Burns sat in the small room, looking over the twisting mass of wiring tying together Eric's computer equipment. From the doorway Paul, who was giving them a small tour, said with a wry smile, "Some of the tunnels are a literal copper mine, miles of old unused phone lines. We just repurposed some of them for our needs."

Burns nodded as he continued to look over the equipment crammed into the small room. "I'm quite impressed. A shame Rob couldn't see this setup; he would be intrigued by this equipment."

"Rob would be jealous," countered Nate with a laugh.

Eric held up his hand indicating he wanted quiet and poked a set of digits into the old phone and then after waiting a few seconds spoke into the receiver. "Hey Jason, it's me. We've got some movement on the motion detector out on the north main drainage tunnel." He paused listening to the response on the phone and the continued with annoyed sigh, "I don't know…might be nothing. But with Marc and Scott away at the Quorum meeting, who knows if the Seekers are going to try to pull something." After a short pause listening to the Jason's answer Eric said, "Don't I know it…Stay safe and report back in as fast as you can."

Nate looked quizzically at Eric as the other man hung up the phone. With trepidation he asked, "Is there a problem?"

Eric shrugged and replied as he went back to watching one of his computer monitors. "Hard to say, the motion trackers in that section of the tunnels are pretty old. We get false-positives from them from time to time. But with everything going on we need to stay on our toes."

Burns tilted his head in curiosity and asked, "Motion trackers?"

The older man studied the Soul for a long moment. He had been happy to see Nate when Paul brought him to his room, but Eric seemed less enthusiastic about Nate's friend. "Yeah," replied Eric after a considerable pause, "we've got a whole array of sensors in the tunnels. We can keep tabs on nearly anything moving through the passageways."

Noticing Eric's displeasure with Burns presence Nate got out of his seat and gestured to the screen Eric was studying. "So this was how you knew we were in the tunnels?" Eric nodded with sly smile. Nate continued, "Amazing, you set this all up yourself?" Eric began to explain how he worked out how to setup the sensors years ago and Nate's distraction gave Burns an opportunity to discreetly exit the room.

In the hallway Paul gave Burns a sympathetic smile. "Sorry, I should have guessed Eric might be a little sensitive."

Burns gave a small shrug and said, "It's alright. I'm used to some Humans not wanting my presence."

Paul leaned in and said in a low voice to the Soul, "Ah well, Eric is a bit defensive with almost anyone around his computers, they're his babies."

Burns glanced back into the room at Eric with a quizzical look on his calm face. Paul smirked, "Oh yeah, Eric can get a little intense about his toys." He appraised Burns and added, "See, to make friends with Eric you need to tell him you're a fan of Stanley Kubrick's movies."

"Who is Stanley Kubrick?" asked Burns uncertainly.

Paul grimaced, "Oh, don't let Eric hear that. The man nearly worships the director." He started to explain further when the ringing of the telephone in Eric's room interrupted him. Eric was still speaking to Nate when he answered the phone. Holding the receiver Eric said in a distracted voice, "Hello?"

An angry voice carried through the tiny receiver and Eric held the handset away from his ear. In the hallway Paul and Burns couldn't make out what was said but from the tone and expression rapidly forming on Eric's face it couldn't be good.

Talking into the phone Eric stammered, "But Marc…" He winced as the reply came back over the phone. After a few moments he said in a subdued voice, "I'll get it done," and then hung up the phone.

All eyes were on Eric and the man said in shaky voice, "We've got a big problem."

* * *

####

* * *

Seeker Skyward Into the Night hands were clenched at his side and his jaw firmly set as the elevator doors slid slowly open. Bright Moon on Fallen Snow stood with Simple Sunlight behind the shorter Seeker. When Skyward didn't move out of the elevator Simple Sunlight cleared her throat nervously and said in a meek tone, "Umm, sir?"

The elder Seeker let out a noise which almost sounded like a hiss. All at once his body quickly jerked forward and he moved out of the elevator in rapid strides. Bright Moon and Simple Sunlight exchanged worried glances and quickly hurried after Skyward.

Catching up to the shorter Seeker was easy for two taller women, but they maintained a careful distance from the Head Seeker. Skyward was angry…very angry for a Soul. But he did have good reason for his anger.

Less than an hour after Skyward and Twice Fires brought the shocking news of the origin of the plague a spaceship loaded with Souls departing the planet exploded in flight. The news of the tragedy sent the Souls into the Administrative Building into a near panic as they frantically tried to find out if there were survivors and how the explosion happened. It didn't take long for Skyward to connect the Human Rebels as the source of the destruction.

As they walked along Bright Moon could hear Skyward muttering to himself. "If I had known what that barbaric human was capable of doing I would have never let him leave. His threats be damned."

Keeping her voice even and calm Bright Moon said, "Seeker Skyward, we don't know what caused the ship…"

Skyward cut her off sharply in a tight voice though his clenched jaws. "Are you saying it was an accident?" Before she could reply he continued, "How many spaceships accidents have there been since we took custody of this world?"

"None," replied Bright Moon in very quiet voice.

Skyward stopped abruptly and turned to her, his eyes flashing with nearly uncontrolled anger. "Then Seeker Bright Moon do you have another explanation other than sabotage?"

"I…" but she couldn't bring herself to continue. The crews maintaining the ships worked tirelessly to make sure the craft function without even the most minor of failures. Was there any explanation other than intentional disruption? And if so, who other than the Human Rebels would do something so brutal? Bright Moon felt a pit of black despair pull her down. How could she have been so wrong about Marc Walters?

Shoulders slumping she bowed her head and said in a whisper, "I don't have any other explanation."

"Then would you kindly stop wasting time on frivolous discussions!" snapped Skyward. Bright Moon cringed away from the short angry Seeker and Skyward spun on his heels continuing down the hallway. Bright Moon found herself trembling from Skyward's angry outburst. If she had not known him better she would have thought him a wild human.

Still shaking from Skyward's outburst Bright Moon took a calming breath and tried to relax her tense body. Everything this morning had started so pleasantly. Marc's bright smile at seeing her had made her feel happy in a way she couldn't easily classify. To think such a simple thing as a smile could make her feel almost giddy. And now it had all fallen apart. She tried and failed to comprehend how any race could use such a weapon as the engineered plague and kill so many. Even their own people become infected and died. She remembered the pain on Marc's face when confronted with the truth. Could she be wrong? Did he really not know about the source of the plague?

With a shaky sigh Bright Moon forced such thoughts about Marc away, shoving them far into the back of her mind. She had a responsibility to the Souls lost on the spaceship and she needed to focus. There would be time later to deal with Marc Walters.

Turning Bright Moon noticed Simple Sunlight had not followed after Seeker Skyward. The tall auburn haired woman stood looking out a window in the corridor. Walking over to her fellow Seeker she saw Simple Sunlight's eyes were closed and a pained expression on her face. "Simple," asked Bright Moon, "are you alright?"

Simple Sunlight's eyes snapped open and she mustered a small smile for Bright Moon. "I'm alright. I fear this day will be very taxing for all of us."

"I fear you are right my friend," replied Bright Moon. Remembering how Simple Sunlight had comforted her a few days ago Bright Moon touched her friend gently on her arm. Simple Sunlight's body stiffened in surprise for a moment at her touch but then relaxed and Simple gave Bright Moon a wide smile. "Now who's being the comforter?"

Bright Moon managed a smile of her own. "I don't think a comforter shall ever be my calling." She nodded towards the direction Skyward had gone and said while trying to keep her voice soft, "We need to catch up to Seeker Skyward."

"Indeed," said Simple Sunlight as they hurried to catch up with the Head Seeker, "Skyward is quite…upset. We will need to ensure he doesn't alarm anyone else."

"I'm worried," admitted Bright Moon to Simple Sunlight, "Skyward seems to becoming unstable."

Simple Sunlight shook her head strong enough to make her soft sandy red hair swish around her head. "No, Seeker Skyward is just very passionate about his work. He has been greatly stressed with dealing with the Humans and now this crisis. I am only concerned others will fail to understand the difficulties Skyward faces and react in fear."

Turning the corner they entered the office space dedicated to handling the administrative tasks of managing the shuttles and spaceships coming to and leaving the city's airspace. Normally the space would be filled with Souls going about their tasks in quiet routine order. Now Souls darted quickly from office to office in hopeless confusion. Panic and despair were prominent on their faces and voices as they tried to respond to the disaster. Such a tragedy, after bearing the horrific results of the plague a month ago, was proving difficult for her people.

They spotted Skyward in one of the offices among a small crowd of men and women. Hurrying to catch up they entered the office and found a young man at the center of the circle of people. His face pale and distraught while his eyes red and tears still stained his cheeks.

Skyward spoke to the man in a calming peaceful tone, his earlier anger gone. "Now, Nimble Weaver, I know you are very upset. But I need you to recall if anything was out of order on the ship before it left."

"No, nothing was out of order," said Nimble Weaver in a broken, toneless voice. His eyes not focusing on anyone, he just stared blankly ahead at nothing.

"Were you at any time away from the spaceship ? Could someone have approached the craft without you knowing?" asked Skyward.

Nimble Weaver shook his head slowly. He blinked once and then finally focused on the Seekers. In a faint voice he said, "I always check everything on the ships before they leave. I am so very careful. Are you saying someone did this…on purpose?"

Skyward sighed deeply and carefully chose his next words. "Nimble Weaver, I don't believe you did anything wrong. I'm simply investigating the facts of the incident." It was not a lie, just a carefully worded answer to not further upset the traumatized Soul.

Nimble Weaver nodded once and again stared at the ground blankly. Moving to the side Skyward addressed the others in the office in a soft subdued voice. "Please make sure to get Nimble Weaver to the Comforters right away. We don't want anything else to further disturb him." Several Souls nodded in agreement but as Skyward turned to leave one woman in the group said in hushed whisper, "Seeker, do you believe the Humans are responsible?"

Skyward glanced to Nimble Weaver, but the Soul was still staring at the ground. He returned his gaze to the woman who asked the question and nodded gravely. She paled at once and made a pained noise in her throat. Other Souls around her grew equally distressed.

Exiting the room Skyward addressed both Bright Moon and Simple Sunlight. "I want the two of you going through everything. I want to know where every single item on the shuttle came from and who had access. If you need extra help, do not hesitate to request it."

Both Seekers nodded silently at his command. Before turning and leaving Skyward said, "Seeker Bright Moon," he paused awkwardly, "I am sorry I grew angry with you before. Please accept my apologies."

"No," began Bright Moon, "I should not have questioned you before. I was…not willing to believe the Humans capable of such treachery."

"They fooled us all," said Simple Sunlight. Skyward nodded right away and after letting out a deep sigh so did Bright Moon.

After Skyward left to meet with the Quorum to update them on the status of the spaceship investigation both Bright Moon and Simple Sunlight began reviewing the extensive documentation of the ship's last flight. Souls were meticulous in keeping records and both Seekers had a good deal of information to shift through. But it was not long before Simple Sunlight interrupted Bright Moon and handed a document to her.

"What is this?" asked Bright Moon.

Simple Sunlight pointed to the top of the paper. The document was a manifest of cryotanks loaded on the shuttle. Bright Moon frowned slightly, not understanding what Simple Sunlight had found.

"Look at the storage facility where the cryotanks were loaded, Bright Moon," explained Simple Sunlight. The Seeker was growing increasing apprehensive.

The cryotank storage facility was one of many in the city and it took a moment for Bright Moon to realize where she had seen a reference to this site before. She looked up in surprise at her fellow Seeker and said, "This is the same place where the missing Soul Distant Harmony worked." Bright Moon felt her own anxiety grow as she read the manifest in detail. Many of the cryotanks on the spaceship arrived at the storage site on the same day Distant Harmony disappeared.

"This can't be a coincidence," said Bright Moon rising to her feet.

"No," said a paled Simple Sunlight. "We need to tell Skyward right away."

 

* * *

####

* * *

"Marc, I'm just a doctor. I don't know much about genetic engineering. I can't tell you if this report is fake or not," said Simon as he paged through the Soul report on the plague. The doctor sat at the dining room table, around him crowded other members of their small community, all them jostling with each other to get a look at the report.

Marc Walters stood across from Simon, his arms crossed and his jaw locked firmly in place. Anger just radiated off the young man in waves. In a tight voice he said, "Well, what the hell can you tell me?"

Simon glowered back at Marc and bit out, "I told you before this disease was damn strange. I had never seen anything change its cell walls so fast. If the Souls say it was an engineered bacterium I can't find much reason to argue against the findings."

The table rattled as Marc smacked his hands against the worn surface of the tabletop and he leaned forward towards the doctor. "Bottom line Simon, did we make this bug?"

"I just said I don't know enough," countered Simon.

"Yes or no," growled Marc.

Wanda tried to keep her voice even and calm as she spoke up, but couldn't manage to keep her voice steady. "Marc, I don't think anyone believes your people made this…this weapon." She said the last word in a high nervous squeak.

Marc turned his head slowly to the small Soul. She sat with friends at the end of the table. A mix of horror and disbelief etched on their pale faces as they sat at the end of the table. Like the rest of his people they had all reacted in shock when he and Scott had unexpectedly returned from their meeting with the Souls with their devastating news.

"Do you think any Soul cares whether I made the plague personally or some other Human did it?" asked Marc in an icy tone to Wanda.

"You are not responsible for what other Humans do…" began Wanda but Marc cut her off harshly. "Your people," said Marc as he jabbed a finger towards Wanda and then Burns, "think we're a bunch of savages. Barely above animals, so can you honestly tell me they will not just assume we're all to blame for this?"

Wanda began to respond and then stopped. Her small shoulders slumped and she looked down at the table with a sad expression on her face. "There was a time when I would have believed the worst about Humans." Wanda's hands were clasped together in a tight ball on the table. Ian sat next to her, his bright blue eyes only filled with concern for his partner. He slowly and gently took her hands in his and gave them a soft squeeze.

The smallest of smiles grew on Wanda's face at and she said, "But I know better." She looked to Burns and continued, "And others know better." Burns gave a firm nod. Wanda looked pleadingly at Marc and said with confidence, "Please Marc, you must try to convince the Quorum of your people's wish for peace. You saved many and it doesn't matter where the plague came from, your actions are what matter."

Marc closed his eyes and leaned back against the wall of the small dining room and closed his eyes. After a minute he opened them and let out a long tired sigh. He looked back to Wanda and said in much more calm voice, "Everything we worked on yesterday, every idea you had about building a working co-existence between Humans and Souls, just got torpedoed by Seeker Skyward. How am I going to get anywhere while he's sitting there shooting down anything I say?"

Wanda shook her head slowly, she had no idea herself how to handle this Seeker. It was Lacey who surprised everyone by answering, "Seeker Skyward Into the Night, right?" Marc and Scott nodded glumly. "Yeah I remember him, he a big wig with the Seekers, one of the first here in the invasion." This brought a series of mumbled curses and angry whispers from the other Humans.

"He's a real piece of work," said Scott.

"Oh I know," said Lacey disdainfully. She gestured to the back of her neck where the Seeker once lived in her body. "She of course loved him. But I'm not sure he was well liked outside the other Seekers."

"Yeah I got the feeling the other Quorum members didn't necessarily like him either," replied Marc after thinking about his past meetings with the Souls. He glanced at Wanda and Burns and added, "Well as much as I ever see Souls dislike each other."

"It is true," began Burns slowly, "not all of us feel comfortable around Seekers. Some of us feel they too closely embrace the violence inherit to their calling."

"Could we use this 'discomfort' to drive some sort of wedge between Skyward and the other Quorum members?" asked Scott.

"Perhaps," mused Burns. The Soul was about to continue when a sudden commotion arose from the hallway. People gathered into small dining room spilled out into the hallway leading to the dining hall and there were sounds of gasps and then cries. In the doorway Sarah's hands flew to her mouth at something in the hallway and she let out cry of anguish, "NO!"

Marc, Dell, and Scott were quickly pushing through the crowd to see what was wrong. Ian and Melanie came after them, also desperate to see what was causing such grief and agitation with Marc's people.

In the hallway stood Jason, his face pale with shock and his skin moist with sweat. In his arms he cradled something large wrapped in dirty old blankets. The old rags didn't fully cover what Jason carried, an unmoving pale skinny arm stuck out from the coverings.

"Jason," breathed a wide-eyed Marc.

"It's Tim," said Jason in a faint broken response. The stocky man swallowed hard and gulped out, "He's been shot."

Now a collective cry went through the Humans and the small hallway became filled with a jumble of sounds and people as they both pulled forward to see the small body in Jason's arms and at the same time recoil in horror. Wanda, her hands covering her mouth in horror, began to tremble violently and Ian had to wrap his own shaking arms around her to keep her from collapsing. The boy who reminded her so much of Jamie lay dead.

Simon had to fight to get to the front of the crowd. Shaken, but still in control he gestured to Jason to lay the body down on the floor. Almost in a daze Jason complied and laid the unmoving figure on ground. As Simon began to examine Tim, Marc pulled Jason aside and asked, "Where did you find him?"

"Down in the drainage tunnels," began Jason. With almost a sob he added, "He was just lying there in a pool…of his…of his own blood."

Simon looked up from the small body he examined and said tonelessly, "Small gunshot wound to the chest. Close range."

Marc turned in a halting and uncontrolled movement to Scott. "The armory," he croaked out.

Scott was already turning, happy to be away from the horror in the hallway. Sarah had made the way to the front of the crowd, difficult with her wide belly. Tears were falling down her face and she let out a wail when she saw the small body.

"My fault! My fault!" she cried.

Dell steadied the sobbing woman and said in deep rumble, "No. Not your fault. Don't carry this Sarah."

"I sent him," said Sarah as fresh tears sprang from her eyes.

Marc twisted slowly from where he watched Simon. He had to drag his eyes away from Tim's body. "What?" he said in a hollow voice.

"It was Mia," cried Sarah. "I saw her going off on her own. You know how she gets. Tim said he'd go and get her. I didn't even think about it, I just sent him." She broke down into sobs. Her husband Mike pulled her close as others around her tried to comfort her.

"Mia?" asked Ian confused, "You think she did this?"

"Impossible!" exploded Marc.

Scott ran up and although still blocked by many in the hallway he yelled out, "It's all there, every gun, every bullet."

Marc turned back to Simon. "You said small gunshot, like the pistols Seekers sometimes carry?"

There was a long pause from Simon and then the doctor grimly nodded once. Jason who had stood like stone came alive and said, "Eric sent me down to the drainage tunnels, he said the motion trackers showed someone entering the area from up above."

Dell's jaw tightened and his hands squeezed into fists at his sides, "Bastard Seekers have come down there before."

Now the voices between the humans of the small community grew quieter but angrier. For a long minute Marc stared at Wanda and Burns. The two Souls growing nervous from the man unblinking and unnerving gaze as Marc stood not moving muscle. Finally he moved and said, "Eric." His voice drowned out by the people around him. He called louder, "Eric!"

Marc's bellow quieted the mob and the resident computer hacker made his way to the front of the crowd. Eric glanced around nervously and asked, "Yes?"

Marc began to speak; his voice was completely devoid of emotion. "Eric, I want you to start sending out how to pull the parasites out." To the side of him both Wanda and Burns flinched while Marc continued, "I want you to keep sending the message out no matter what happens. Send it out every method you can think of. Use goddamn smoke signals if you think it will work." He turned to Burns and Wanda, his face locked in a cold rage. "I want every human left on this planet to know how to pull these worms out."

* * *

####

* * *

"They found the body right where we left it," reported Agent Anderson to Agent Adams. Adams stood in the dim light of the storm drain. The only real light source came from high above, a storm grate which led to the busy street above. It was close enough you could hear the traffic of cars and people going by, but what little light it allowed filled the narrow tunnel with shadows.

"And they didn't see you, they have no reason to believe it wasn't the Seekers?" asked Adams. It was not so much a question as a confirmation.

"Yes, sir," said Anderson evenly.

"Good," replied Adams, happy to have one problem out of the way. Now Adams turned to his current issue – the girl. Tied up and then chained to some old pipes in the tunnel the girl sat staring blankly at the far wall. He regarded the small girl and then looked to her captor. Agent Williams stood guard over the child, a defiant look on his face.

"You should have killed her when you captured the two of them," said Adams.

Williams shook his head and said carefully, "We don't need to kill them both. The boy is enough." He pointed to the tied up kid and continued, "I know her from some place. I know her name is Mia Cheng."

"Unimportant," growled Adams.

Williams scowled and after a second of hesitation he said, "It's important to me."

"Is your memory somehow part of our mission?" asked a disdainful Adams.

"She was at the Facility, I'm sure of it. Shouldn't we at least found out how she ended up here?" answered Williams. This stopped the other Agents as they readied their weapons for their next gruesome task. Adams greying eyebrows narrowed as he looked back to Mia. The girl's mouth was tightly covered with a dirty rag. The five agents found without it the girl would either scream for help, or try to bite anyone who came close to her.

Adams closed the distance to Mia and bent down and asked, "Is this true little Mia? Did you live in our Facility?"

Mia looked up sullenly at Adams. She had been crying recently and her eyes were red and puffy. Adams held out a hand and Mia jerked away in fear of the large man. Her face and neck were covered with bruises, many of them put there by either Gray or Adams himself.

Adams said in a low dangerous voice, "I'm going to pull the rag from your mouth. If you scream, I'm going to break your jaw. You'll still be able to talk or scream if you really want, but it will hurt a great deal. Understood?"

Mia nodded meekly and Adams pulled the cloth away. Mia didn't scream out but instead let out a low sobbing moan, "Why did you kill Brother Tim?"

Adams regarded the girl and said in an almost soft voice," Do you think me a monster, little Mia?"

Mia looked at Adams in the shadowy darkness and slowly nodded. Then she frowned, her small features of her face coming together in confusion. "What's wrong with your eyes?"

Adams pulled back and laughed, it wasn't a pleasant sound. "Because I am a monster," said Adams and then he lowered back down to the girl. "What do you remember of your past? Do you remember the labs, Mia?"

Mia looked at Adams in confusion and shook her head. "Mia don't remember labs," she said as she boarded on tears.

Gray came over and examined Mia face, then her head, and finally her neck. The girl tried to kick and pull away from the man, but Gray held her tight. Soon Mia was crying again and her sobs carried in the tunnel. Gray rudely shoved the rag back in her mouth and silenced her cries.

Standing up Gray motioned to Adams and Williams. He leaned into the two men and said, "She might have been part of the chimera experiments, she has the right surgery scars for that project."

"Impossible," rebuked Adams. "There were no survivors. The project was pointless even if it had succeeded." He looked down at his watch and then turned to his men. "We are moving into a critical phase. We need to be very careful for the next few hours. If all goes well we meet up at theWit at the scheduled time." Adams then pulled Williams aside and said in a low voice, "Ask your questions and then get rid of the girl, we can't afford loose ends."


	14. Monsters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: It was pointed out to me that I got the details wrong about how the shuttles and spaceships worked in The Host. I had believed the actual space ships remained in orbit and shuttles traveled back and forth carrying cryotank cargo. The book explains the spaceships are loaded on the ground. So I have made some minor rewrites to chapters 12 & 13\. While this wouldn't seem like a big deal for the story, the Soul spaceships will come into play in my third story so I might as well get it right.

"I want every human left on this planet to know how to pull these worms out," said Marc Walters in quiet voice full of barely controlled rage, his brown eyes darkening as he glared at Wanda and Burns. Around him the angry whispers of his people fell silent as they heard Marc's command. Slowly, one by one, they all began to nod and approve of this order in silent agreement.

Wanda felt a wave of fear and then the twisted feeling of nausea run through her stomach. When she had learned the Human rebels in Chicago had learned the secret to removing her people Wanda had initially panicked. Their knowledge could be used as a terrifying weapon.

Giving the information to her Human family had been one of the hardest things she had ever done. Only after much reassurance they would not harm her defenseless brethren did she finally tell Doc how to do the removal. However when she met Nate's group and learned there were still other Humans still left in the world a nagging fear had been born. The possibility other Humans might learn how to remove a Soul and use their knowledge without restriction or hesitation was a real one.

However Marc and the other Humans had seen the information not as a weapon but a shield, protection from the Souls which outnumbered them a million to one. If the Seekers wouldn't harm the Humans, then the Humans would keep their secret. Wanda had to agree it was a novel solution, but she remained uneasy. The only flaw of their plan required all parties to tolerate each other and not tempt the other side with conflict.

Now proof of the plan's failure lay at Wanda's feet. Tim, the boy who looked so much like Jamie, was dead. Shot in the chest apparently by the Seekers. The horror of this act had only multiplied the earlier shock of learning the plague was not a natural one, the illness a skillfully created weapon by an unknown group of Humans. Wanda could feel everything rapidly spiraling out of control.

"Marc, please don't do this," said Wanda in the steadiest voice she could manage.

"Why not?" said Marc in an eerily calm voice. "I told the Seekers what would happen if they came for us." He glanced down at Tim's body and then to the gathered Humans, "Any reason I shouldn't make good on my threat?"

Many of the assembled Humans nodded in agreement. Wanda felt Ian's hands on her shoulders, felt them tighten as he saw the growing anger of the mob around them.

Burns looked sadly down at the body of the boy and said softly, "We don't know what happened or who did this. Please don't do anything rash."

"Who else has access to weapons around here?" asked Marc. When Burns didn't immediately answer Marc stalked over to the red-haired man and asked again in a tight cold voice, "We checked all our weapons." He pointed to the pale little body on the ground, his finger moving with the faintest of tremors, "We sure the hell didn't kill Tim. So who else has guns around here Mister Burns Living Flowers?"

Burns shrank back from the cold fury in Marc words. Unlike many Humans Wanda had met, Marc didn't scream and yell when angry. No when truly enraged his anger was cold hard fury which cut like steel when he used it against you. Burn meekly whispered, "Seekers carry such weapons."

"And didn't you just tell us not ten minutes ago you Souls feared some Seekers were getting to like violence a little too much," interrogated Marc.

"I did," replied Burns his eyes again locked on Tim.

"Well then, case closed," snapped Marc as he slapped his hands together. The debate of who had killed the boy at an end.

Wanda said in a near whisper, "If you do this it will be the end to any chance for peace. The Souls will have to…stop you."

"Chance for peace?" said Marc his voice finally rising from the disturbing low volume. There was outrage in the voice now. "Wanda, there has never been a chance for peace. I was deluding myself and the rest of my people into thinking we ever had a chance at peace."

"That's not true," countered Wanda. She pulled herself from Ian's grasp. He tried to pull her back, but she stopped him with a tight shake of her head and pleading look in her eyes. She had to stop this before everything collapsed into disaster. She addressed the Humans who crowded into the narrow hallway. "Please, you can still find peace…it's not too late. My people only fear you from what they've been told by the Seekers. If they could come to know you as I have, I know they would co-exist peacefully with you."

Marc watched her plead her case to the Humans silently. He then bent down so they were eye to eye, his brown eyes to her grey-silver ones. "Wanda," he began and his words were almost gentle, nearly apologetic, "We're barbarians…plain and simple." He cocked his head towards Eric and continued, "We went through a lot of the Seekers files when we hacked their network. They had information on other Humans all around the globe."

Wanda could only stare wide-eyed as Marc continued, "You see down in South America there is a group of Humans hiding in the jungle. They're made up of what remained of drug cartels and local militias after your people took over. Some really hard-core fighter types and when they capture a Soul," Marc made an exaggerated cutting motion across his neck, "they chop off the head and scoop your little silver worm bodies out with a spoon."

Feeling herself gag at the ghastly description Wanda still bravely stood her ground. "You're not monsters. Your better than…"

"The point is Wanda," said Marc cutting her off, "the Seekers leave them alone. They steer clear of these Humans, too dangerous to approach. That is the only way we Humans will have peace, by being as vicious and cruel as possible."

Looking around Wanda saw on the faces of these rebel Humans the same fatalistic expression as Marc's. They saw no other way forward. Fighting and brutality were their only options left; they would become the monsters she once feared. She could only shake her head in despair as Marc stood back up, done with their debate.

"Then take me first," said Wanda.

Marc turned back to her, a frown forming on his face, and asked, "What?"

"If you're going to send out how to remove Souls, you should start with me," answered Wanda. She suprised herself at how calmly she spoke the words which would condemn her to the final death.

"Wanda!" yelled Ian as he ran forward to her. He pulled her to him with a fierce grip and turned to face her. With a growl he said, "Wanderer, you will not throw your life away!"

"Ian," said Wanda with a sob, "I have to stop this."

Melanie was also quickly by her side, the tall brunet glowering at her. "Wanda, you can't!"

"Mel, it's a life for a life, it's the only way." she looked to her Sister and then to Ian. She faltered when she saw the pain in his eyes. Her beautiful Ian, how could she do this to him? She felt the tears run down her cheeks as she gazed into his dark blue eyes. He closed them and his jaw tightened as he struggled with her decision.

Interrupting both Marc demanded, "What the hell are you talking about?"

Wanda turned away from Ian and back to Marc, whose face was full of anger, sorrow, and no small amount of confusion at Wanda's demand. "A life for a life," she explained. "One of your own taken by my people. Take my life in return."

Marc stood very still for a few moments, his brown eyes watching her and Ian closely. Finally he said, "You aren't our enemy. You tried to help us."

"I know I'm not your enemy," replied Wanda in a quivering voice. "But don't you see? Once you give out how to remove us from humans there will be no stopping the bloodshed. In revenge other humans will pull out my brethren." Wanda's face crumpled as she spoke, her voice becoming increasingly unsteady as tears poured down her face. "They'll just leave them to wither on the ground and die. So it won't matter if I'm your enemy or not, I'll be just another worm to be yanked out."

Marc was silent as he weighed Wanda's words. Now Dell spoke up, his low voice still full of anger but also heavy with sorrow. "Wanda," he rumbled, "killing you won't bring back Tim. But we can't just let this go."

"Neither will releasing how to remove us. It will only cause more pain and death for all sides," countered Wanda.

"Wanda, what would you have me do?" asked Marc in his quiet but icy voice.

"Go to the Quorum, tell them what has happened," replied Wanda. She took a breath and explained further, "You wanted something you could use to drive a wedge between the other Quorum members and Seeker Skyward. Use this; let them know the Seekers attacked your people."

Marc paused to consider Wanda's idea, but then shook his head. "Skyward," he said with a growl, "will just spin this against us. He will just say we killed." Here his voice broke and he continued after clearing his throat, "…Tim trying to discredit the Seekers."

"We've got another problem," interjected Scott suddenly. He summed it up in one word, "Mia."

"Right," said Marc in understanding. "If the Seekers have her, they will have a Soul in her in no time. She'll be able to lead them right back to us. We'll need to pull out of here fast." He turned to Eric. The short computer hacker had stood nervously while Marc and Wanda debated; now he stiffened as Marc spoke. "Eric, figure the Seekers will throw everything they've got at us when they see what we are up to. How long can you keep a radio broadcast going?"

"Umm, if I can get a hold of a few extra transmission towers, maybe a couple of hours at best," said Eric after thinking about the problem.

"The longer we send this out, the better chance the information can get picked up by someone," said Marc. "Are you going to need direct access to a tower?"

"Yeah, I can automate the message, but I'll need to wire it in," explained Eric.

A small grin appeared on Marc's face, "How about the radio transmitters on Hancock Tower?" Marc looked about at Dell, Scott, and a few of his other more capable fighters, "We'll have to get a little aggressive to get in, but I think we can manage."

Eric had to smile at the bold proposal, "That will do nicely."

Watching the two Humans make plans to send out her people's most dangerous of secrets Wanda felt her whole body go numb. As through she was no longer connected to her Human body and just her small silver body remained.

"Please…" she begged.

But Marc only shook his head slowly. His eyes only held sadness and resignation at his and his people's fate. He was done talking, done mulling over what to do. He had rejected her sacrifice as insufficient and now everyone would suffer. The other humans were already moving off. Preparing to once again go on the run and make one last raid on the Souls. A few humans gave her or her friends a weak smile as they hurried to their tasks. Soon only the six travelers would stay in the hallway.

"Go home Wanderer and Burns Living Flowers," said Marc to the two Souls, his anger already turning to a hard resolve. Both Souls hung their heads in defeat. He addressed her Human friends, "You can go or if you're feeling a little suicidal you can stay and fight."

Melanie glanced between Ian, herself, and Nate. She made one last attempt at persuading the rebel leader of Chicago, "Marc, don't do this," pleaded Melanie. "Wanda's right, this won't change anything."

But there was no changing Marc's mind. He shook his head grimly and turned and headed down the shabby hallway. He never looked back once.

* * *

####

* * *

Seeker Simple Sunlight tightened the straps on her bullet proof vest. Across from her Seeker Bright Moon on Fallen Snow adjusted her vest as well. The body armor wasn't something the Seekers normally used, there was little need. The city had long been settled and peaceful. Even when a tribe of Humans were discovered hiding in the city, there was little need for the added protection. Marc's people had few guns and more often than not relied on stealth and non-lethal traps to defend themselves. But after this morning's destruction of the spaceship the Seekers weren't taking chances.

The sudden arrival of five Seeker vehicles downtown was causing a stir among the other Souls. They stared wide-eyed as several of her fellow Seekers began to close off the area around the large apartment building. Bright Moon would have preferred to use a lighter touch for this operation, she was still unsure their lead would be useful, but circumstances required caution.

Bright Moon opened the door to her vehicle and stepped out on to the sidewalk. Simple Sunlight quickly followed her as pedestrians quickly got out of their way. Nearby two sleek Seeker vehicles near the curb opened their doors and four other Seekers joined up with the two women. She saw Seeker Seen through Clear Ice. A Seeker from the Mist World like herself, he was a talented Seeker when it came to hunting wild Humans. She gave him a quick nod, glad to have him assigned to her task.

Seeing the other Seekers completing their task at closing off the area she addressed the six Seekers waiting at attention on the sidewalk. "We are proceeding with extreme caution. We are not certain what we are going to find. We might be dealing with a hostage situation or we may simply be dealing with a mistaken identity, but we will be careful either way." There were grave nods from all the Seekers.

It had not taken the Seekers long after connecting the missing Distant Harmony and bombing to use ever resource they had their disposal to find the missing Soul. Simple Sunlight had already been looking for the missing man and run down a number of leads. The Soul lived by himself in a small apartment on the north side of the city. None of his friends knew where he had gone or why he wouldn't tell anyone if he was leaving.

Working with Simple Sunlight, Bright Moon had found a Soul calling himself Distant Harmony had very recently moved into a new apartment in down town Chicago. It was very unusual for a Soul to just pick up and move without telling his friends or coworkers. Attempts to contact this Soul had failed and now the Seekers were coming in force to find answers.

Entering the apartment building they were met by a middle aged man who gave the six Seekers a nervous glance. Speaking softly he said, "Seekers, I am Many Clouds, manager of this apartment building. What can I do for you?"

Bright Moon pulled out a picture from her pocket and showed it to Many Clouds. The picture was of a young man with a narrow face. "This Soul is named Distant Harmony. According to records filled by you he started living in one of your apartments just a few days ago."

Many Clouds took the picture and studied it for a moment. With a shake of his head he replied, "No I'm sorry, there must be some sort of mistake. A Soul named Distant Harmony did move in a few days ago, but he wasn't the person in this picture."

"Can you describe him?" asked Seen through Clear Ice.

"Well," began Many Clouds, "he's got a big body, very strong. I told him I would help him move in, but he said he didn't want to inconvenient me. He carried many large boxes in by himself."

"Anything else? A facial description, hair or eye color?" prompted Bright Moon.

"No hair, he was nearly bald. He joked with me, he wished we was inserted into a human with more hair, he never has had the chance to have a haircut. I told him better luck next time." Many Clouds smiled at the memory and then lightly grimaced, "I suppose some hair would cover the scar on his head."

"Scar?" questioned Simple Sunlight.

With a shrug Many Cloud said, "He had a thin scar running from his right temple to nearly the back of his head. He told me his host body had a grave injury in the distant past. The Healers were not able to completely hide the scar." Many Clouds shifted uncomfortably for a moment and added, "I wanted Distant Harmony to feel better about the scar so I told him it was hardly noticeable, even though it wasn't." Many Clouds looked unhappy at the Seekers with his little white lie.

Bright Moon exchange glances with Simple Sunlight. She wasn't sure what the scar meant. It was still possible this was a case of mistake identity, the name Distant Harmony was a common enough name on the Planet of the Bats and the Soul in this apartment building might have no connection to the missing Soul who worked at the Cryotank warehouse. But something about Many Cloud's description made her uneasy. His next words caused her to freeze in place.

"I never did get a good look at his eyes, he was wearing sunglasses on the day he moved in to the apartment," explained Many Clouds.

The feeling of uneasy grew into outright tremor of anxiety in Bright Moon; she saw the same look on the other Seekers. Managing an even tone she said to Many Clouds, "Take us to his apartment at once."

"Yes Seeker," said Many Clouds in a small voice. He led them further into the lobby of the apartment building. The lobby was hardly more than a large alcove with elevators doors on one side. The bronze doors of one of the elevators opened and they stepped into the cab. It was tight fit for the six Seekers and Many Clouds. The doors slide close smoothly and the elevator began to climb.

They rode up in silence. Bright Moon's anxiety didn't fade, if anything the tight knot forming in her body's stomach grew stronger. She wasn't sure exactly what drove her suspicions, was it intuition or was she overreacting? Ever since this morning with she found herself conflicted and uncertain with her emotions, she longed for the certainty she felt before the plague completely changing her world.

As the elevator doors opened Bright Moon took a deep breath and let it out slowly. She stepped off elevator and the other Seekers followed. In the cab Many Clouds hesitated, uncertain if he should follow. Bright Moon gave him a small smile to encourage the freighted Soul. He stepped off the elevator and headed down the hallway as Bright Moon and the other Seekers followed. They had gone to nearly the end of the hallway when Many Clouds stopped and pointed to one of the many doors in the hallway.

"That apartment," said Many Clouds softly, "Distant Harmony asked for this room specifically."

Bright Moon looked at the door. Just a simple white door with small peephole in the middle and a square black button on the side as its ringer, it didn't seem any different from any others in this hallway or in the entire building. She nodded to Many Clouds and said, "Thank for your help, Many Clouds. We will take it from here."

"I'm glad I could help," said Many Clouds with a faint smile as she moved past him, he looked relieved as he distanced himself from the Seekers and the door to Distant Harmony's room. The Seekers formed a semi-circle around the door to the apartment. They readied their dispensers of SLEEP and PEACE and Bright Moon was very much aware of the small pistol on her belt. She glanced at Simple Sunlight and her friend gave her a small nod to go ahead.

Bright Moon pressed the button and a soft buzz could be heard, muffled by the door. She waited a few moments and then tried again. This time saying in a loud clear voice, "Are you there Distant Harmony?"

Again silence and Bright Moon was just about to ask Many Clouds to open the door when there was a loud bang and the part of the door exploded in a hail of wood splinters. Bright Moon felt something hit hard in her chest, its force knocking the breath right out of her body. A hand grabbed on to her and pulled her down as there was a second deafening boom. Now the damaged door exploded outward, wood and metal flying in all directions.

The half circle of Seekers was thrown into chaos as the door disintegrated. Simple Sunlight had pulled Bright Moon down to the ground while the other four Seekers tried to twist out of the way of the flying wreckage of the door. A body slumped down to the floor near Bright Moon, the Seeker moaning in pain as bright red blood ran down his face. Bright Moon was trying to suck in air, but her lungs of her body refused to co-operate.

What little remained of the door was suddenly yanked open and large shape loomed in the doorway. Bright Moon could only make out the shape as a man's body, she couldn't see his face. Held in arms was a large weapon, something Bright Moon had only seen in pictures - a combat shotgun. From above her a harsh angry voice bellowed, "Well what do we have here?"

"Human!" cried one of the Seekers. Bright Moon could not tell which one of the Seekers had spoken but she saw the man in the doorway turn towards the voice. He spoke in a smug angry voice, "Yes! Human!" There was a short snap of a sound, a click, and then a terrifying thunderous boom above her. Then there was sickening thud from behind her.

Finally her lungs caught their much-needed air and Bright Moon struggled to get away from the opening. She needed the Seekers to retreat and reform to contain this threat. This was her worst fear realized, a human, a heavily armed human, infiltrating the city and waiting to attack. "Fall back," she gasped out.

"Ahh…the worms crawl at my feet," said the man. Bright Moon turned back just in time to see the Human grab Simple Sunlight, who'd been pressing herself tightly against the floor, and pull her up roughly. Simple Sunlight let out a frightened shriek and then disappeared through the ruined doorway.

In a flash Bright Moon was up to her feet, her hand going for her sidearm. Surprising it was still in holster, having held fast as she had been thrown to the ground and then desperately crawled away. She pulled it free and pressed against the wall of the hallway as she neared the opening to the room where Simple Sunlight was pulled. She heard sound of a struggle from inside and then the sound of a loud smack, of skin hitting skin. Bright Moon, pressing tightly against the remaining door jam, pivoted into the empty doorway and came face to face with Human.

The Human was big and muscular as Many Clouds described, he was dressed in black and grey clothing, his uniform having a distinctive military design. But it was his face that drew Bright Moon's attention, he had distinctive scar on his bald head, which wrapped around his skull. The scar was a thin gash, a red line on his pale skin. The jag across his head gave him a gruesome appearance. Grey eyebrows sat above his dark eyes, very dark, which glared hatefully at Bright Moon.

He reached out for her with his large strong arms, and Bright Moon surprised herself by how quickly she shot him. She had never liked guns, the human killing weapon and its piercing noise when it fired. Hated how quickly the weapon could maim and destroy. Since her training as a Seeker on this world she had only used it a handful of times. But she didn't hesitate now and at their close range the bullet struck him directly in his chest.

The force of the bullet knocked him back, but that was all. With dismay Bright Moon realized he was also wearing protective body armor, her weapon not nearly strong enough to penetrate. The man pushed himself back up and while looking at her for the briefest of moments said, "Bitch worm has some fight in her." He seemed almost respectful of her attempt to kill him.

Now she brought the gun up again, this time to fire at his head. It would be a fatal wound and they would learn nothing from this Human, but Bright Moon found she didn't care. The human phrase, 'Kill or be killed,' finally made complete sense to her.

But the Human was faster, for his large size he moved quickly and gracefully. He side stepped her attempt to aim at his head and brought a large fist direct at her head. She barely had time to avoid a direct hit from his fist. Only enough time to raise her right arm up in a desperate attempt to shield herself from the blow. Her whole body rocked when the hit landed and Bright Moon found herself knocked back into the hallway.

Seen through Clear Ice now rushed at the Human, in his hand he carried a large dispenser of SLEEP. He managed to bring the sprayer in close to the big man. But the Human grabbed on to Seen through Clear Ice's arm and almost casually tossed the tall Seeker aside as though his body weighed nearly nothing. The Seeker hit the wall with a hard smack, his body then crumpling to the ground.

Bending down the wild Human went to retrieve his shotgun he had dropped when he had grabbed Simple Sunlight. He was about to pick it up when someone from the apartment jumped on to his back. It was Seeker Simple Sunlight. The man bucked and tried to shake her off, but the red-haired Seeker held on desperately. With one arm wrapped around the big Human's throat she brought her other arm in to his face, a small bottle of SLEEP clutched tightly in her hand.

Simple Sunlight sprayed the white mist into the man's face. He reared back and smashed Simple Sunlight into the wall with his body. The blow loosened the Seeker's hold on him, but the gas was already beginning to affect him. He rose back on unsteady legs and Simple Sunlight took the advantage to bring the SLEEP dispenser again to his face. The Human ineffectively battered against her and Simple Sunlight pressed in her attack with the gas. The man made one last attempt to break free and then fell forward. With a deafening crash his body fell to the floor and lay still.

"Simple," cried Bright Moon as she sprung up and crossed the distance to where her friend lay panting on the ground next to the sleeping wild Human. Simple Sunlight looked up at Bright Moon, her face bruised and bloodied, and said with a shy smile, "Got him."

* * *

####

* * *

"What's your earliest memory?" asked Agent Williams.

The girl Mia sat staring forward into the dark tunnel, not moving an inch. Williams was finding she could be very stubborn when she wanted. It had been a mistake, he reflected, to harm her. She had gone completely silent after Gray and Adams had finished with her and now he wasn't getting anything from her. And he didn't have much time left.

"Com'on Mia, you must remember something other than living in these tunnels," said Williams as he gestured around the dark drainage pipe.

Nothing. Mia continued to gaze into the black darkness of the tunnel.

Williams sighed and glanced at his watch. Very little time left now, time to try a different approach. He sat down next to the girl and said softly, "I'm sorry about the boy. I didn't like that we had to kill him."

He saw Mia's eyes flicker to him and then back into the inky shadows of the tunnel. Williams waited and after a few moments he heard her voice, barely above a whisper. "Why?"

"Your people screwed up our plans. I know they didn't mean too, but curing the plague made my people very angry," explained Williams.

"No," said Mia in soft sob, "Why are you sorry…for killing Tim?"

Her question made Williams pause. The truth be told he actually did feel sorry they had killed the boy. In the end the kid had nothing to do with Marc Walters or the Doctor Simon Jansky stopping their weapon. The boy Tim had simply been at the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Cause he was a kid, and it's never good when a child dies," answered Williams. He wasn't surprised when he realized he believed what he said.

Mia thought on what Williams had said. After a while she said, "I don't remember you. At all." She said the last sentence in a cold flat tone.

"I remember you. Your name is Mia Cheng. Ever since I saw you I feel like I've been drawn to you. I'm not sure why," said Williams. He wasn't sure if he was explaining to Mia or to himself.

"Mia Cheng," said the girl. She sounded out her last name experimentally, "Mia C-h-e-n-g." She smiled at the rediscovery of her last name. For the first time since he had brought her to the tunnel Mia actually turned to look at him. "How do you know me?"

"I'm not sure," admitted Williams. "I think you were a test subject at the Facility…with me."

Mia frowned, "The ugly one said Mia was at the Facility…what does that mean?"

Williams wondered if he should answer her question, wondered how to even answer the question when he wasn't so sure himself. Before he could answer Mia he heard Gray moving down the tunnel. Williams stood and met his fellow Agent.

"The Seekers have Adams," said Gray in a monotone voice.

"It's time then," said Williams after digesting the news.

Gray pointed to where Mia sat in the tunnel and said in a low voice, "Get rid of her."

Williams tried and failed to keep the revulsion off his face. Gray cocked his head and said in slightly condescending tone, "I'll do it if you aren't up to it."

"No," said Williams firmly. "I'll handle it."

Walking back to Mia, Williams reached down and grabbed the girl by the arm. He began to walk farther into the dark tunnel, half dragging and half pushing Mia to keep the girl moving along. As they walked he could hear her sniff softly and then begin to cry. Almost absentmindedly he wrapped his arm around the small girl, comforting her in the blackness. This made Mia cry even harder.

"Shhh…Samantha, it will be alright," said Williams and then froze. Why had he said that name out loud? Who was Samantha? In the darkness Williams struggled to remember. It was just at the edge of his memory and he desperately tried to recall the memory.

Mia continued to cry, terrified of her fate. She tried to pull free, but Williams's strong hand held her fast. She too didn't understand why Williams was suddenly trying to comfort her. All she wanted to do was go home. She didn't care if the Bright Eyes lived with them for the next twenty years. All she wanted was to see her family again.

Williams held Mia as she cried and her cries slowly but surely freed a memory long-buried in William's mind. He remembered a girl, not Mia, but a blond haired girl with freckles and fair skin. Beautiful and sweet, she was his Samantha, his _daughter_. The memory rocked him to his core, both in exhilaration at the fact he had a daughter and the sharp pain at the realization he had no idea what had become of his precious little girl. He tried to recall more, who was her mother, where had they lived, but after giving up this jewel of a memory his mind remained stubbornly sealed. In his arms Mia continued to cry and Williams knew he couldn't kill her.

"Mia," whispered Williams.

"What?" asked Mia in a very shaky voice.

Williams swallowed hard and spoke quickly, "Mia, lie flat on the ground and don't move. Don't even breathe. Gray will come and I'll have to make him believe your dead. If you move, if you even give a hint you are still alive I'll have to really shoot you."

In the grim darkness Mia only stared at Williams not understanding what he was talking about.

Behind him Williams could hear Agent Gray following him, closing in on the two of them. They had only a few seconds left.

"Please Mia," pleaded Williams, "this is the only way. If you don't I'll have to kill you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Marc's description of the South American rebels is just speculation on my part. It would seem to make sense in remote and dangerous places (Colombian rainforest or Afghanistan's Mountains) humans would be able to keep the Souls away. The Seekers avoiding them because of the remoteness and the danger of the inhabitants.
> 
> Thanks for reading and please take the time to review.
> 
> -Walker.


	15. Flight

"We could have at least finished lunch before we left. I'm hungry," complained Lacey from the back of the line.

"I don't think anyone felt like eating after they…brought the kid back," replied Nate from the front of their procession. His voice trailed off towards the end. Nate knew no one wanted a reminder of the dead boy named Tim.

"It's not like we had a choice," added Melanie from in front of Lacey. The tall brunet turned her head to give Lacey an irritated glare as they walked. "We were basically thrown out. They weren't taking lunch orders at the time."

Melanie turned back and looked down the long dark tunnel. Before Marc's people began to abandon their hideout the six visitors were kindly, but firmly, blindfolded and brought back in the underground tunnels. With their large flashlights they made a small pool of light in these inky black tunnels. They still had a way to go before they returned to the lower basement of Randolph Station and then make their way back to Nate's van, their mission a failure.

"They wouldn't have thrown us out if Wanda would've kept her mouth shut," grumbled Lacey.

"Lacey," replied Ian with a very tired sigh as he walked along with Wanda in front of Mel, "shut the hell up."

Lacey scowled at Ian. "Fine, whatever," sneered the small woman, "you always take her side."

Ian tensed and spun around. He crossed the short distance to Lacey, his hands curling into fists and his jaw tightening. "I've had," said Ian through gritted teeth, "just about enough out of you."

"Ian," interrupted Melanie with a shake of her head as Lacey cowered away from Ian's anger, "don't."

Ian continued to glare at Lacey and then back to the others. Nate and Melanie looked very tired and Burns wore a very grim face. Wanda stood alone with her head bowed, the Soul had said very little since they were ejected from the rebel's refuge. Ian's shoulders dropped and he back away from the still sullen Lacey. As walked back he could just make out Wanda's voice.

"I'm sorry," said Wanda barely above a whisper.

The others hadn't heard Wanda clearly. Lacey cupped a hand to her ear and leaned forward. "What?"

"I said," said Wanda in the same low voice, "I'm sorry my attempt at defending my people and stopping more deaths interrupted your feeding schedule Lacey." The small blond-haired Soul had made her reply in a nearly perfect monotone voice, but an uncharacteristic sarcasm and anger lingered in her words.

If Lacey had appeared ready to back down before, Wanda's words spurned her to respond with her own sarcasm. "Oh! She does get angry. Well wonders never cease."

Melanie came up to Wanda while glaring at Lacey and tried to put her arm around the smaller woman to comfort her. But Wanda pulled away, an angry frown forming on her small face. She marched up to Lacey and asked with annoyed sigh, "Yes Lacey I can get angry, believe it or not. Are you capable of not being irritating!?"

Lacey arched an eyebrow and a trace of a smile formed on her lips. "Sure I can, but when someone does something so mind numbingly stupid I feel I have to point it out."

Ian's head snapped around and the dark-haired man appeared ready to launch himself at Lacey when Wanda did something he would've never believed her capable of doing. The small, innocent looking blond-haired Soul slapped Lacey.

Everyone stared at Wanda, their mouths hanging open in shock. Lacey jerked back from the small blow, surprise giving away to a hint of fear. Wanda, red faced with anger and a bit of embarrassment glared at Lacey and said, "I was trying to save them! Save them from hurting my kind and getting themselves all killed. But you stupid Humans just want your revenge!"

Silence fell among them the six of them. Wanda, still red-faced, looked down sadly at her feet. Lacey rubbed her cheek where Wanda had slapped her. She shrugged her shoulders and said in a softer voice, "Alright fine, you're trying to save everyone. Good for you. But you went about it in the dumbest way possible."

Wanda eyes narrowed and she breathed out a shaky irritated sigh. "What do you mean?"

"A life for a life…really? How does getting yourself killed fix anything?" asked Lacey.

Setting down on a relatively clean section of tunnel, Wanda's body drooped as her anger drained away. She looked up the other five and answered in a quivery voice, "I didn't want to die, but I would have to save them…I know Marc's people are angry." Her voice became increasingly cracked as she talked, "If the Seekers…did that…to…to…Jamie, I think I would…want to…" She couldn't bring herself to say the threat out loud. After a moment Wanda whipped away a few tears and continued in a stronger voice, "I thought if I could offer myself it would appease them."

Lacey surprised Wanda when she sat down next to her and spoke in almost congenial voice. "Wanda, it's a bad idea to get into some eye for an eye deal. It just happens to leave a lot of people blind. If you're hoping to create balance in the world, don't go throwing your life or anyone else's away. The scale is really stacked against you. Billions of humans are gone, are you going to offer up billions of Souls to even it out?"

Wanda stared at Lacey the silence continuing for long seconds, uncertain on how to respond. It was Melanie who broke the silence. "Ughh," she groaned and glared at Lacey, "I really hate the fact that I'm agreeing with you."

Lacey smiled and said obnoxiously, "You should, I'm always right."

Both Wanda and Melanie rolled their eyes at the same time. Melanie looked down at her sister and spoke gently, "Wanda, it's not your fault. You tried, but Marc and the others are so angry they wouldn't listen. You sacrificing yourself wouldn't have stopped this." Wanda hung her head, despair clouding her features.

Taking a cue from Wanda and Lacey, the other decided on taking a short break. Melanie eased her way down on to the ground, careful to avoid the dirtier sections of the tunnels. Ian dropped down next to Wanda, he started to put his arm around Wanda to comforter her but she leaned away. After a moment he pulled his hand back, a sad expression on his face. Melanie silently mouthed, "Not now" and Ian leaned back against the cold stone wall.

Nate looked to the others and asked, "So what are we going to do?"

Burns stirred and turned to his friend. Lost in deep thought, the tall Soul had been almost silent since they entered the tunnels and hardly responded when Wanda grew angry with Lacey. Now with an unhappy sigh he spoke, "I fear the situation in Chicago is a lost cause. And I now worry about our own homes and families."

"How so?" asked Ian.

"An unknown group of Humans released the plague in this city. In response the Seekers will hunt for them relentlessly. They will search everywhere for any Humans to gain answers, even the hint of Humans will draw them in great numbers," explained Burns.

Nate ran a hand through his hair and grumbled, "Great, that's just great. It's just like Marc said, we're all going to get blamed for this mess, even when we know nothing about it."

"Bio-terrorism," remarked Ian, "it doesn't get much worse than that. I can see why the Souls will be so worked up." He paused lost in thought and then added, "I'd really like to find these people myself, ask them what the hell they were thinking. The plague killed Humans just as easy as it did Souls."

"They probably think they've got nothing to lose," replied Melanie, "they must think they're the only Humans left, one desperate last attempt to take back the planet."

"So they must have been really surprised when Marc's people came up with the cure," mused Nate.

"I guess," answered Melanie. "I mean it came as a big shock to us. Not just the fact they cured the disease, but the fact there were Humans in Chicago at all."

"What if…" began Lacey but she trailed off in a frown, after a moment she continued. "Okay, so we say there is a group of humans who figure out how to make this weapon. They plan to release it in a city and hope it spreads worldwide, right?" The others nodded in agreement. "So they would know about the city. What was going on in the city, so they could infect the population, right?" Again the others nodded and Lacey continued with a worried look on her face, "What if they knew Marc and the others were here and they didn't care?"

* * *

####

* * *

Seeker Skyward Into the Night looked down at the large unconscious body before him. Even in deep sleep the Seekers were being extra cautious with the body. This Human had been particularly aggressive and his captured not an easy one. Restraints tied the Human's arms and legs, keeping him secured to the examining table. The Human's wide chest slowly rose and fell as the Healer examined the body.

The Healer ran a scanning instrument over the Human's head;, focusing on the scar. Skyward had noticed the scar when Seeker Bright Moon on Fallen Snow had brought the wild Human to the Healing facility. The scar began at the man's right temple and then stretched back to nearly the back of the head. The scar was thin like an insertion scar made by a Soul, but the line was jagged and uneven. Combined with the lack of hair on his head it looked like the Human's head had been cracked open like an egg.

"There is some residual scarring on the brain tissue on the forward lobe of the brain," reported the Healer. He glanced down at the sleeping human and then back to his equipment adding, "I'm not sure what caused the scarring. It would seem this Human had a severe injury in the recent past, but there is little permanent damage"

"Would it cause an issue with insertion?" inquired Skyward.

The Healer paused to consider as he rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "No," replied the Healer after thinking it over, "the scarring is located in the section of the Human brain which governs their higher order cognitive reasoning. It will not affect short or long-term memory access."

Skyward felt himself smile in a rare moment of humor. It seemed ridiculous to regard Humans as having any reasoning skills at all. Their entire race violent and incredibly short-sighted, as this specimen proved. This Human had attempted to hide among the peaceful Souls in the city, preparing to use his weapons in some heinous manner. But he'd been foolish, he used the name of Distant Harmony, the Soul he'd killed and the Seekers had found him. Skyward felt his smile fade. Still there were many questions to answer and Skyward intended to get these answers quickly.

"Good," began Skyward as he looked over to the cryotank sitting on the nearby counter. "Healer I would like you to start Seeker Twice Fires insertion right away."

The Healer looked back down to the sleeping Human and lightly frowned. He said with faint unease, "I helped treat the Seekers who were injured by this Human. Seeker Anthony and Seen through Clear Ice were both badly hurt." The Healer looked back down to the unmoving Human and shuddered, "This one is so violent."

"It's alright Healer," said Skyward in a calm voice. The Healers always need such handholding thought difficult subjects reflected Skyward. It could be so tedious when dealing with their profession. He did his best to smile and reassure the Healer. "Seeker Twice Fires volunteered for this mission and he has had experience with subjugating violent and resistant hosts in the past." Skyward lightly touched the restraints on the unmoving man and continued, "We will keep careful watch on the subject. Once Twice Fires is finished he can go back to his original body and we can rid ourselves of this vicious individual."

With a resigning sigh the Healer nodded and turned back to his work to prepare the body for insertion. Seeker Bright Moon on Fallen Snow who had silently stood off to the side while Skyward and the Healer discussed the Human approached Skyward as he watched the Healer work. She regarded the Healer and his work warily. Bright Moon hesitated as she turned to Skyward and then asked softly, "Will this insertion not break our truce with Marc Walters?"

Skyward frowned at the young Seeker. He couldn't fathom why Bright Moon would ask such a question. "Wouldn't you say the truce is already broken? We've been attacked, both with the sabotage to the spaceship and the attack on your team today."

Bright Moon nodded solemnly and replied, "I don't believe this Human was a member of Marc's group. I'm sure I would have remembered seeing this individual with them. If this Human is responsible for the attack on the ship, we are dealing with a different faction of Rebels."

"Then this Human isn't part of that 'truce' and there is no issue with inserting Seeker Twice Fires," responded Skyward tightly. The whole notion of this forced truce with Marc Walters agitated him to no end. The wild Human impudence and his schemes were maddening. He turned to look Seeker Bright Moon in the eye and said, "And I'm not convinced Marc Walters isn't behind these events."

"Marc wouldn't…" began Bright Moon with a sharp retort but then she stopped herself and began again a much more mild voice, "I'm uncertain if Mr. Walters is connected to these events."

Anger flared in Skyward and he pulled Bright Moon aside. He kept his voice low to not bother the Healer. "Seeker Bright Moon on Fallen Snow, what is wrong with you? You repeatedly warned me about Marc Walters, you believed him a dire threat to us. At the time I thought you were over reacting, at best I thought there were two or three Humans hiding in the underground tunnels, barely a threat. But then the plague came and I saw just how many were hiding below us, an army of them."

Bright Moon's face fell and she looked down at the floor. "I know what I said," began the Seeker, "but I…didn't have all the fact about…"

"The facts," said Skyward hotly as he cut her off, "are that Marc Walters used his time with the Healers to learn how to remove us. He then threatened to release this information to other Humans if we didn't back off." Skyward then pointed to the Human on the table and said with a growl, "All the while conspiring with this person and who knows how many others to attack us."

Skyward found he was breathing hard as the anger surged in his body. He realized his right hand was clamped tightly on Bright Moon's arm and she was wincing slightly at his grip. Releasing his hand she shied away from him. With effort he reigned his body's anger back in. He hated these emotional bodies and not for the first time he wished this life term would be over so he could move on to a different world and a better species.

Turning back to the Healer, Skyward noted the Human already had a thin line cut into his neck. The Healer worked quickly to apply the needed medication to prevent excess blood to form in the cut. Then with great care he lifted the cryotank which contained Seeker Twice Fires and sat it down near his subject. Releasing the safety the Healer turned down the dial on the cryotank. The softly glowing red light on top of the tank began to blink faster. Soon the top opened and with infinite care the Healer brought the silver ribbon that was Seeker Twice Fires from the container. Carefully he cupped his hands to hold Twice Fires and moved over to the exposed entry point in the neck of the Human.

Both Skyward Into the Night and Bright Moon on Fallen Snow moved in closer. Their recent argument put aside as they watched the insertion. It was always a special event when a Soul began a new life. Even if it would be temporary life and the Soul of Twice Fires would soon return to his original host. All three Souls watched as Twice Fires worked his way slowly into the Humans spinal column and brain the Healer remarked softly, "Good luck Seeker."

With the insertion process completed the Healer went about closing the wound and then applying a generous amount of SMOOTH on the opening to remove the scar on the back of the neck. Soon only a faint pink line remained on the body. The Healer once again checked his equipment and with a heavy sigh turned to the two Seekers saying, "Seeker Twice Fires is safely inserted and all connections tightly bound."

"Very good," replied Skyward with an agreeable bob of his head. "Please wake him at once."

The Healer once again frowned, this time a bit more sharply than before, "I'm not sure that is a good idea. We should let Twice Fires awaken normally. He'll have to endure the ending of this host's last memories."

With a pained smile Skyward said, "It will be fine, Healer. Please awaken Seeker Twice Fires."

"Very well," confirmed the Healer with a mild irritated look on his face. He reached to his supplies of medicine and brought out a small container of AWAKE. Dispensing a small amount near the body's nose there was the sound of sharp inhalation. The limbs on the body began to stir and faint groan came out of mouth. The Healer watched as this as he monitored the host's vitals.

Suddenly the body jerked hard and from the lips the faint groan became a loud roar of pain. Ever muscle in the body went rigid. The face contorted and the breathing rapidly increased. Bright Moon and the Healer looked in alarm but Skyward remained calm. Few souls ever had to endure the last moments of a violent encounter like this Human had gone through. It would be difficult for any Soul, but Skyward knew Twice Fires would be able to handle the pain and stay in control. All at once the screaming stopped and the body relaxed.

After a few more moments the body opened it mouth as said in a deep gentle voice, "I'm sorry for the noise. The beginning was…difficult."

"Seeker Twice Fires, how do you feel?" asked the Healer. He had cringed away when the screaming began, but now was looking over the readouts monitoring Seeker Twice Fire's new host.

The bald head swiveled on the wide neck slowly towards the Healer. Twice Fires eyes remained closed as he replied, "I am well. There were the usual difficulties, but I am accumulating quickly."

Twice Fires's eyes opened but then shut very quickly. A slightly pained look formed on his otherwise calm face. He said slowly after a moment, "Healer, if you won't mind, please turn down the lights. This body's eyes seem to be a bit sensitive to light."

"Of course Seeker," replied the Healer. He moved to lower the lights in the room and Skyward stepped forward to stand near Twice Fires's new body. For the first time today Skyward Into the Night felt some tension drain out of his body. They would finally be able to get some answers and the Seekers would be able to get control of the situation. For too long they had reacted instead of acting, allowing the Humans like Marc Walters to dictate terms. Once Twice Fires gained the knowledge of this Human, Skyward intended to set things right.

With the lights dimmed, Twice Fires slowly opened his eyes and looked around. The dark eyes of the host took in Skyward Into the Night and then Bright Moon on Fallen Snow who remained at a distance with a troubled look on her face. In the dim light of the room only the faint sheen of silver could be seen in those dark eyes. The eyes and face placid and calm, like any peaceful Soul.

"Seeker Skyward, it's good to see you again," said Twice Fires after he finished looking around the room.

"Are you able to access your host's memory," asked and eager Skyward.

"Yes," answered Twice Fires with a faint smile. He closed his eyes again in concentration and after a few moments he pointed to his body. "His name is Kane Adams, he was…a criminal in the Human world. When we began taking over he went into hiding." Twice Fires stopped and his brow wrinkled in deeper concentration.

"Is he resisting you?" asked Skyward.

Twice Fires sighed deeply and opened his eyes, "Yes. This man Adams knows of us quite well and understood what would happen if caught."

"Is he trying to regain control of his body?" questioned the Healer.

"No, his resistance isn't anywhere near co-ordinated or strong enough," explained Twice Fires. "He believed his physical strength would equal mental strength." Twice Fires smiled and with a small laugh said, "He is very wrong."

Skyward Into the Night leaned down and asked, "Can you tell what his plans are? Was he connected to the bombing of our ship?"

Twice Fires twisted his head back and forth, a faint expression of pain on his face. The Healer was quick to come to his side, but Twice Fires shook his head. "No I am fine; he's just fighting hard to keep this information."

"Take your time," replied the Healer, "Please don't strain yourself."

Skyward scowled and then reigned in his displeasure at the Healer. He turned to the Soul and kept his voice as neutral as he could manage, "Healer, I believe we don't need your services any more. I will handle anything Seeker Twice Fires requires."

The Healer drew back, his expression almost becoming a glare. "I would recommend against that course of action, I would like to run additional tests…"

"Later," said Skyward forcefully, "you can run your tests after I have my information."

"As you wish, Seeker" replied the Healer in a huff. He turned and without another word left the room.

Turning back to Twice Fires he saw the Seeker's eyes were again closed, his face a mask of concentration. Skyward waited as patiently as he could. He could feel they were close to the information they needed. Finally Twice Fires said in a low excited voice, "I have it."

"Yes!" exclaimed Skyward happily.

"He was planning to set a trap at the apartment, we surprised him. He expected us to take longer to find the apartment." Twice Fires opened his eyes and glanced over to Bright Moon on Fallen Snow, "You did good work taking him down."

"Seeker Simple Sunlight deserves the credit," replied Bright Moon modestly.

"Is she alright?" asked Twice Fires with a hint of alarm in his voice. "I remember how he hit her, such a cruel man," he said with a shake of his head.

Bright Moon faintly smiled, "Yes, she went home to recover. She will be fine." Twice Fires nodded his head with a faint smile.

Skyward opened his mouth to ask Twice Fires to not become distracted but the Seeker began to explain without further prompting. "He came to this city with truck filled with explosives. He had gathered the materials for a long time. His first stop was at the Cryotank facility where he killed Distant Harmony and planted the explosives in the Cryotanks. Then he acquired the apartment and began to build more bombs." Twice Fires trailed off as he continued to focus on recovering the memories of his host.

Abruptly the Seeker turned to Skyward, his face becoming very worried. "Skyward, it as you feared. Yesterday Adams ventured into the sewers and met with Marc Walters. Marc provided him with strategic points in the city to place his bombs."

There was a gasp from Bright Moon, both Twice Fires and Skyward turned to look at her. Bright Moon stood in the corner of the room her eyes wide. With the dimmed lights she looked very pale. She took a deep breath and asked in strained voice, "Adams meet with Marc?"

"Yes," replied Twice Fires. Bright Moon on Fallen Snow had a pained look on her face, but it slowly faded and she said in empty voice, "I see."

"I knew it," said Skyward Into the Night. His hands tightened into fists, partly in anger but also in elation at confirmation of his suspicions. His initial reaction to Twice Fires news tempered by the revelation of more explosives hidden in the city. He turned back to Twice Fires asking, "The bombs, where are they?"

Seeker Twice Fires leaned forward on the examination bed but was prevented in further movement by the restraints around his arms and legs. He looked up to Skyward from the bed and replied softly, "Please Seeker Skyward, release me. I will show you where the bombs are hidden."

* * *

####

* * *

Nate slowly pushed open the door leading to the Pedway and looked around cautiously. They had finally made it back from the tunnels to the doorway leading into Randolph station. While it had only been three days since they had come this way before, it seemed like a life time ago, reflected Wanda as she watched the Human carefully close the door.

"It looks clear," said Nate. "But let's play it safe, sunglasses for everyone without silver in their eyes."

Wanda watched as Ian, Melanie, Lacey, and Nate put on sunglasses to hide their human eyes. Ian smiled at her after he put on his darkened shades, a flashy grin as he pulled his collar on his shirt up. It prompted an old memory of Mel's to rise up in her. Something about a troublesome teen who all the girls of his school swooned over, it was a very odd memory.

Wanda knew he was only trying to cheer her up. Giving him a tired smile she said, "Burns would you take the lead?"

Her fellow Soul nodded and after once again checking out the short distance from the Pedway to the larger station beyond their small party quickly left the stairway. Burns, Lacey and Ian took the lead, while Wanda, Mel, and Nate followed. There were few Souls around in this part of the station and no one paid them much attention.

Felling completely drained, Wanda resisted the sudden urge to ask Ian to carry her. They would stand out a ridiculous amount in the city and she hated giving into her body's limitations. But a part of her just wanted to be held by her Ian and be comforted. To be told everything was fine and all would work out for the best was very tempting. Lost in her thoughts she almost didn't hear the man behind her.

"Stop."

Wanda turned and froze. A young dark-skinned man had walked up to her. His clothes the all too familiar dark uniform. A Seeker.

Swallowing hard Wanda said in a slightly uneven voice, "Yes, what can I do for you?"

The Seeker regarded her with faint confusion and asked, "Don't I know you?" His eyes widened and he said, "Yes, I remember you. You told me you saw a man come up from down below. That you though he was a Human."

With a sinking feeling Wanda realized she did know this Seeker. It was the same young man she had spoken to when she had lied about seeing a man come up from the tunnels. He had seemed so eager to chase after her imaginary human she had guessed he was a very young Soul. Doing her best to get away from this Seeker, Wanda smiled and said, "I do remember you, Seeker. I'm sorry; I think I must have been wrong about what I saw. Again I'm sorry I caused you problems."

The Seeker considered her words but then said gravely, "You needn't apologize for your mistake." He straightened and spoke his next words with conviction, "It is a Soul's duty to remain vigilant and report all dangers." He looked back down at her, "But you had vanished when we came back. We looked for you, but couldn't find you anywhere. No one saw you leave the area."

Glancing around Wanda saw they were beginning to attract attention. Melanie and Nate stood off to the side, trying desperately to stay inconspicuous. She wasn't sure where Ian and the others were, she hoped desperately they were out of sight. She saw the Seeker was waiting for her to respond.

Licking her suddenly dry lips, Wanda said in a slightly squeaky voice, "Well…you see…I had an appointment to get to so I couldn't wait."

"Seeker Night Ember Lights, is there a problem?" asked a new voice. Wanda turned and saw a middle-aged woman standing before them, a stern look on her face. Another Seeker.

"No ma'am," explained the young Seeker. "I was just questioning…" But the older Seeker was no longer paying attention to Wanda. She had focused on Melanie and Nate and Wanda felt an icy grip on her heart. The Seeker's face at first showed puzzlement but then suspicion, she asked in a commanding voice, "Why are you wearing sunglasses indoors?"

Nate looked terror-struck, but Melanie tried her best to remain calm. She gave the Seeker a nervous smile and said, "Well you see, my friend and I are having a little trouble with our eyes. We're on our way to see a Healer."

"Let me see," requested the Seeker. Melanie gulped nervously and tried to duck away when the Seeker tried to reach up and pull off the sunglasses. The older Seeker would have succeeded if not for Ian roughly ramming into her and sending her skidding on the floor.

Everything in the concourse came to a sudden stop. The Souls around them all collectively gasped out loud. Shock and fear clear on their faces at Ian's actions. Ian was breathing hard, a strong look of fear on his face. Seeker Night Ember Lights's mouth was wide open in surprise, but he was quickly beginning to react. Ian saw this and yelled to all of them, "Run!"

No one needed to be told twice and all six of them were in a desperate scramble to return the way they had come. To reach the safety of the stairway and the tunnels bellow. Wanda felt like her small heart was going to beat right out of her chest. After everything that had gone wrong today, now this, one more disaster, she didn't think she could bear anymore.

A hand grasped her arm roughly. She tried her best to yank free, but the hand remained attached. The arm pulled her around and she saw it was Seeker Night Ember Lights. His face was mix of confusion and disbelief.

"Let me go!" screamed Wanda.

"Please, I don't want to hurt you," said the Seeker. Her actions only deepened his concern and he added, "Why are you running with those wild Humans?"

Wanda twisted, trying to see where Ian and the others were at, but a crowd of Souls were quickly forming around her. They of course though they were protecting her from these dangerous Humans. Behind her she could hear the other Seeker speaking quickly into her phone. "Don't hurt them," begged Wanda.

Night Ember Lights eyes narrowed and his voice grew louder with outrage. "You're trying to help the Humans, after what they did today?"

Wanda didn't understand his anger, she desperately tried again to pull free, tried to find Ian in the crowd, but she had lost him. She twisted back to the Seeker whose fierce grip was beginning to hurt her. "Please let me go, you're hurting me."

The Seeker did loosen his hold on her and Wanda did manage to pull her arm free. But Wanda wasn't fast enough for what he did next. He brought his hand up quickly to her face and before she could turn away she smelled raspberries. The effects of the SLEEP pulled her down rapidly. She managed to moan out one name before the darkness took her.

"Ian," she whispered and then was gone.

* * *

####

* * *

Mia ran through the darkness of the tunnels. Her whole body ached miserably and she could feel her warm blood on her side. Williams had said the cut wouldn't be bad, wouldn't hurt too much. He had lied. Mia had surprised herself when she didn't cry out from the pain.

Williams had said he needed blood. He had to make it look real. So he had stuck her before the other man named Gray came for them. Then he spread her blood on her clothes and on the floor. And it had worked! Mia was so scared as lay on the ground pretending to be dead, she was sure Grey wouldn't believe Williams. But the other man was in a hurry and hardly checked her at all.

Now through the pain she raced to get back to her home. Back to her family with Williams' warning, it was the only thing keeping her going.

"Tell your people to get the hell out of this city." Williams had told her, "it's all going to burn when we're done with it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Well another chapter in. Get ready for the next chapter, I'm going to really mess with your heads :-)  
> Please review when you get the chance.  
> -Walker


	16. Convergence

Agent Taylor breezed through the doors of theWit and wondered, not for the first time, why the parasites decided to use the hotel as their administrative center. It would have made more sense to use Chicago's City Hall for their seat of government. But instead the old city hall had become a museum of sorts, visited only by aliens curious about the archaic forms of Human governments. Now theWit, transformed from hotel to a sleek office building, managed the conquered city of Chicago.

Interrupting her musings, a parasite in the body of a small blond-haired and darkly tanned woman sitting at the reception desk smiled warmly at her as she entered building. Agent Taylor made sure to return the smile with a large dopy smile of her own. She exchanged pleasant greetings to the receptionist and then continued on into the lobby. As far as the parasite knew she was one of them and they were all one big happy family. Taylor knew it was important to keep up appearances.

Looking around the lobby Taylor supposed the move of offices was meant to represent the new order the parasites thought they brought to the city. But why had they chosen the hotel of all places? Were they drawn to the much more modern glass and steel hotel than older and less modern buildings? Even after living undercover in the city for months she still found much of their activity hopeless pointless and without any meaning.

Taking a reassuring breath and then letting it out slowly through her lips, Taylor worked to both calm and focus her thoughts. She wasn't here for sightseeing or to idly wonder about the parasite's motivations. The events of today were quickly coming to a head and Taylor needed to be ready. She crossed the lobby and sat down in a chair away from most of the parasites entering or leaving the building. She didn't want to draw attention, not yet anyway.

Busying herself with reviewing a pile of paper work and making notes on her handheld computer she would be easily overlooked by the Seekers in the building. Right now the Seekers had much more pressing issues and wouldn't be noticing her. While Taylor gave the impression of just another Soul busy with her work, she was actually carefully watching the building's entrance. Looking for the signal for her to drop her carefully held disguise and begin her operation.

A faint but persistent pressure slowly built behind Agent Taylor's eyes as she sat waiting. Taylor had to bite down on her tongue to resist groaning out loud. The tension wasn't painful, that wasn't the source of Taylor's frustrated moan. It was acting up again…her parasite.

Taylor rubbed her temple absently, this always happened when she was starting a mission. Stress often brought the silver worm in the back of her head alive with effort to retake control. The efforts were muted and ineffectual, but it was a hassle to deal with and something Taylor couldn't afford now.

Beginning the mantra she had honed over the past few months, Taylor began to mutter under her breath. "I am Rebecca Taylor, I am Rebecca Taylor, I am Rebecca Taylor and you have no power over me." All the while she focused every fiber of her being in forcing the parasite she carried into the cage in the back of her mind. It continued to struggle, still trying even its weakened state to regain control.

' _Please don't do this,'_ it whispered in her mind.

This quiet pleading only angered Taylor and with a vicious mental shove in her mind she buried the alien awareness of the parasite in a deep, dark pit of her subconscious. Before it vanished from her mind Taylor felt the alien worm once again try to end its life. End her life.

' _No,'_ she thought coldly, _'you can't. We cut the ability out of you. You're just a little pathetic worm, barely alive any more. You will be silent!'_

It was gone now, but Taylor was left with a painful headache. Letting out a deep sigh she went back to rubbing her forehead to easy some of her stress. Her Recovery from the control of the parasite in her brain had been one of the earliest performed by the doctors' of the Facility, one of the earliest _successful_ Recoveries she remind herself. The parasites had complicated defense to prevent themselves from being forcefully removed from a host. While the little silver worms had many protections, those defenses were not invincible or invulnerable. After many failed attempts at removing the parasites, the Facility researchers hit upon a way to suppress the alien creature. She had undergone a series of complicated surgeries which slowly allowed Rebecca Taylor to become herself once again.

' _And I got to keep their pretty silver eyes,'_ reflected Taylor as the pain in her temples slowly eased. She made subtle sweep of her head to make sure no one was paying her any attention to her discomfort. Helpfulness of any kind was the last thing Taylor needed now. The aliens were always looking to help each other and this fact always angered her. They could be so kind and considerate to each other, but at the same time wipe out humanity without a care.

In Taylor's remote corner of the lobby no one was paying attention to her now. All the parasites in the glass shrouded lobby were focused on the front entrance. The doors leading to the outside opened wide and a number of darkly dressed men and woman walked through the door. Their black uniforms moved together as one as they moved through the lobby. All of them Seekers, except one man near the middle of the procession. The man dressed only in a simple white shirt and tan trousers. He was tall and lights around the building reflected off his smooth bald head. As he walked he spoke to the other Seekers in soft tones she couldn't make out.

As the Seekers passed her by Taylor ducted herself down as much as she could and made herself as inconspicuous as possible. She needn't have worried; the Seekers were so focused on the tall man they weren't paying much attention to anything else. Agent Taylor let her training take over, made herself breath in and out slowly, felt her heart beat with a steady rhythm. This was the moment she had waited to arrive, when the Seekers brought Agent Adams to meet with the Quorum.

Taylor watched the Seekers move out of her view. She waited a minute more, then rose up, and began walking calmly but with purpose down the main hallway of the Administrative building. She watched Adams, the man gave no sign he wasn't under control of the parasite inserted into him. His steps smooth and calm, his face a peaceful and placid. This meant only one of two things, either Adams had convincingly fooled the Seekers, or the parasite truly did control him. If the worms had taken Adams, they then knew everything and she was walking into a trap. The parasites would never let her continue with her mission if they learned what they had planned. But as she walked down the hallway no one stopped her.

Turning off the main throughway Agent Taylor turned down a short hallway. The hallway was empty, no one waited for her. At the end of corridor was a black steel door, a little bigger and thicker than the other doors in this building. Above it was a simple sign which read **'Security Center'**. Taylor looked back down the hallway from where she had traveled. No one was there, no one had followed her.

At the door to the Security Center she took hold of the door knob and paused. Normally this room had two Seekers on duty, in charge of monitoring the building's security and control systems. If the Seekers were laying a trap, the room beyond would be an excellent place to spring it close. They'd have many Seekers in the room waiting for her, ready to take her into custody as soon as she opened the door.

Agent Rebecca Taylor took one last look around, sucked a deep breath in, and opened the door.

* * *

####

* * *

"Ian," said Lacey in a harsh whisper, "they're coming."

When Ian did immediately move, Lacey tugged nervously on his arm. The tall man didn't budge but did finally reply in a tight whisper of his own. "There are only four of them, Nate and I could take them."

"Don't be stupid," snapped Lacey as she yanked hard on his arm. It was enough to pull Ian away from the edge of the tunnel he was peering down. She poked him hard in the chest with her right index finger and continued in voice seesawing between anger and panic. "You only see four, but soon as you run to fight them they'll be twelve more." In dark of the tunnel it was impossible to tell if Ian was actually looking at the small woman. The only dim light source was from the Seeker's flash lights which slowly and methodically closed on their location.

"And no offense," breathed Nate by Lacey's side, "we've been running for what feels like hours. I'm not up to fighting one Seeker, let alone four." Nate had point, ever since their discovery by the Seekers in Randolph Station they had been on the run in the tunnels as Seekers chased after them. They had finally managed to lose one team of Seekers only to run into another group of black uniformed Souls hunting for them. Now this group of Seekers slowly closed in on them.

"Alright fine," spat Ian. His hand reached out in the surrounding blackness and slowly closed on Lacey's arm. She jerked and gave a nervous eek of a sound at the contact but then relaxed when she realized it was just Ian.

"Shh," hissed Ian.

"Well stop grabbing me in the dark," hissed back Lacey.

"Would you two knock it off," said Nate crossly. "We need to get moving."

Lacey grumbled something under breath but did start to slowly move down the dark tunnel. Ian held her arm and then Nate grouped around blindly for a moment before locking his hand on Ian's wrist. They inched forward slowly until Nate whispered, "Burns?"

"Yes, sorry," said the voice of the ginger haired Soul. The three connected Human's felt a momentary tug as the Soul grabbed on to Nate. Lacey then continued her slow walk forward and Ian shifted to rest his hand on the small woman's shoulder to let her stretch both hands in front of her to feel her way forward in the inky blackness. Sluggishly the four of them moved down the tunnel, desperately trying to stay ahead of the Seekers.

Four lights from the four Seekers behind them steadily grew brighter. The Seekers didn't know the exact location of their prey. They moved back and forth as they carefully checked each branch of the passageway. But armed with high-powered flash lights they moved without the slow halting steps of their quarry.

Just above a murmur Burns said, "Perhaps if I give myself up, I can distract them long enough to let you three get away."

"No deal," returned Nate's immediate response. "We've already lost Wanda and Melanie. We're not losing anyone else."

"But…" began Burns.

Nate growled out a single word, "NO." In the dark they all could feel the Soul flinch from his friend's word. After they inched a long for nearly a minute Nate sighed and said gently, "I'm sorry Burns, but I…can't lose anyone else…I just can't. This little disaster of an expedition was my idea. No one else should suffer for my mistake."

Silence returned for a few seconds and then Burns said quietly, "I believe the mission was my idea, you Humans were just tagging along as usual."

Nate's voice filled with chagrin asked, "Did you just tell a joke?"

"A small one," admitted the Soul.

Lacey interrupted them with a short gasp and she stopped moving forward. Ian could feel Lacey moving her arm blindly in front of her as she felt for something. Then Lacey startled them by suddenly pulling forward and the sharply to the right. Ian bent forward to ask what the problem when he felt it as well, a cool breeze on his face.

"I think we might be close to where Marc brought us the first time," said Lacey as she moved along.

"Are you sure?" asked Nate.

"No, I'm all turned around and I'm stumbling around in the dark," replied Lacey with an irritated sigh. "But now this is the best option I've got."

At a painfully crawl they moved forward. If they could manage to put some distance between themselves and the Seekers they could risk using their flash lights again. But for now they stumbled along in the dark. With the lack of light and with threat behind them, every little sound magnified into some nightmarish noise Ian was sure the Seekers would hear.

Ian inched along, consumed with worry and guilt about Wanda and Melanie. Their last minutes at the train station replayed painfully in his mind. He remembered tackling the Seeker when she went to remove Melanie's sunglasses. Then the frantic run for the stairway only to realize Wanda and Melanie weren't with them. He turned back to see Melanie struggling with same Seeker he had knocked down, and then Melanie screaming at them to run. Wanda was nowhere to be seen.

Shaking his head Ian forced the memories away, even if it was only temporary. He desperately tried to keep his mind focused on escaping. But under his breath he said, "I'm getting you back Wanderer."

"What was that?" asked a nervous Lacey.

"Sorry," muttered Ian, "that was me."

"No," snapped Lacey. "Listen…"

For a moment Ian and the others heard nothing, but then they heard a low gasping sound and the quick pit pat of someone walking quickly down the tunnel. They all froze, panic freezing their bodies. But as they listened the sound was clearly coming from in front of them, not from behind. The sound slowed and then finally stopped.

They could see nothing in front of them except for impenetrable blackness. Then a faint moan came from the dark and Ian tensed, ready to fight. Behind him he felt Nate also ready himself. Suddenly a faint light turned on directly in front of them. The light was from a small pen light, but to Ian's light starved eyes it looked like a flood light shining directly in face.

"Turn it off," gasped out Lacey as she stared at the small figure illuminated by the tiny light.

"Bright Eyes?" whispered Mia as she stood staring directly at Burns.

* * *

####

* * *

Seeker Bright Moon on Fallen Snow's stomach rumbled uneasily. She knew she should get something to eat and keep up her body's strength. It had been a very long day so far, and it appeared the day wasn't even close to being over. Seeker Twice Fires in his new body had led them to several spots around the city where small explosive charges were carefully hidden. Each explosive would have killed or wounded many Souls if it had detonated. Fortunately Twice Fires now knew exactly how to disarm the bombs and each was carefully disposed.

While the Seekers worked, Bright Moon found herself reeling from Seeker Twice Fires revelation of Marc Walters' treachery. After everything she and Marc had faced with the plague, the losses they both endured, she had found herself changed. She no longer wanted to fight these Humans who had hidden themselves in her city. Wanted to believe Marc's claims of peace was possible between their two people. And then Marc himself, the wild Human who had been such a source of irritation for her, they could be…friends? Or something…more?

But it was all a lie. She knew humans could be treacherous and deceitful, but she never dreamed they could sink to such vile levels. It was impossible to fathom the evil of their act. The disease they spread and the bombs they placed would never been enough to stop all of her people. Killing even one Soul was horrible, but there were billions of Souls on this planet and more arriving every day. What did the Humans hope to achieve with their plans? Did the Humans only know how to kill and destroy?

Worst of all was the pain. With each bomb the Seekers located and removed a pain grew in Bright Moon's chest, the pain of betrayal. She thought she would be angry, furious with Marc for fooling her, but there was only a sharp ache in her chest. As a Soul, Bright Moon didn't like being angry, didn't wish for the negative emotion. But now she would give nearly anything to stop the pain in her heart.

Lost in her own thoughts as she walked to the cafeteria of the Administrative Building she didn't notice the Seeker approach her until he was right in front of her. She jerked to a stop and with more annoyance in her voice than she wanted snapped out, "Yes?"

Seeker Night Ember Lights ducted his head and replied apologetically, "Sorry to disturb you, Seeker Bright Moon. But…I was wondering if you might…provide me with some guidance?"

Bright Moon sighed, she didn't feel like giving anyone guidance. As a Seeker she should have never trusted the Humans in the first place. She looked at the young Seeker, he looked tired and haggard. She guessed she looked the same.

"What can I help you with, Seeker?" replied Bright Moon after deciding a distraction would help her forget her personal feelings.

"We captured a Human a short time ago coming up from tunnels under Randolph Station downtown. She was with others, but they escaped back down to the tunnels. Several Seeker teams dispatched to hunt them down," explained Night Ember Lights.

Bright Moon's eyes narrowed and she said coldly, "Have a Seeker inserted into Human female at once. She will tell us what information we need about the Human rebels hiding down there."

"Well," began Night Ember Lights, "that's part of the problem." He handed her a file. On the front of the file was the picture of young woman, a deep tan and dark hair framed a pretty face with hazel eyes. Under the picture the name 'Stryder, Melanie' was written. Bright Moon opened the file and began to read. It didn't take long before she was frowning in confusion.

"This states she was already captured and inserted with the Soul Wanderer nearly two years ago," said Bright Moon in mild irritation. The report must be wrong. She continued to read and found her confusion giving away to complete disbelief. She looked back to the young Seeker while shaking her head. "This states the Wanderer was declared dead many months ago. Apparently she wondered off into the desert…possibly due to influence by her host."

"Yes," agreed Night Ember Lights. "But we've checked her identity three times. All records match. The Human is Melanie Stryder."

"Well then Seeker Nigel," replied Bright Moon with a growing irritation in her voice, "carry out the insertion and we can get some answers."

The young Seeker's dark skin blushed even darker and he hung his head. Letting out a deep sigh Night Ember Lights said, "She grew quite upset and…well, yelled at me."

"The Human?" asked Bright Moon, once again growing confused.

"No… Petals Open to the Moon, she became quite distraught once she learned of the Human's capture. She demanded to see this Melanie Stryder…" Night Ember Lights trailed off as he watched Bright Moon's face

A headache was forming in Bright Moon's temples. She closed her eyes and vaguely remembered a memory from her host, about counting to the number ten to relax oneself during stressful times. Bright Moon wondered if counting to one hundred would be a fitting number to relieve her current state of stress. She opened her eyes and gazed steadily at Seeker Night Ember Lights and said in a very uneven voice, "Perhaps, Seeker, you should start at the beginning?"

Night Ember Lights nodded his head up and down in agreement and began to retell of the encounter at the train station with the Humans and a Soul who appeared to travel with them. A Soul named Petals Open to the Moon, who had also been missing for a number of months. As Night Ember Lights completed his story, Bright Moon found she was no less confused.

"You permitted Petals Open to the Moon to visit this Human?" asked Bright Moon.

"I feared she might harm herself if we didn't comply with her request," explained the Seeker. "She's also is quite insistent she meet with the Quorum. She claims to have information on Marc Walters' rebels and needs to speak with the Quorum or many lives will be lost."

At the mention of Marc Walters, Bright Moon felt herself tense and felt annoyed with herself for letting that Human still bother her so much. She pursed her lips and said, "Isn't this issue something for the Comforters to deal with?"

"I have called them," replied Night Ember Lights. "But given all the chaos of today, I thought I should seek out your expertise. You have had the most dealings with Marc Walters and his people. I thought you might have better insight on what is happening."

"Yes," mused Bright Moon absently as she thought about the several Souls which had helped Marc and his people. Perhaps this Petals Open to the Moon was the same, an innocent Soul manipulated by Marc into doing his bidding. Bright Moon needed to talk this Soul and show her how she was being used by the Humans.

"They are in the building?" questioned Bright Moon.

"Yes, just down the hallway," replied Night Ember Lights.

Seeker Bright Moon on Fallen Snow squared her shoulder and said, "Show me."

* * *

####

* * *

Opening the Security Center's door Agent Taylor found a room largely filled with a fancy security console. The Souls used the most modern of human technology to secure their Administrative Building. More than a dozen monitors stood in a large array on the wall. Most monitors split into many smaller windows, each with a view from one the buildings many security cameras. Other monitors reported a variety of status messages on all aspects of the building. From temperature control to which lights were on in a room, all of it controlled from right here. This control system was largely automated and so required only a small team to manage the entire building.

Taylor smiled widely at the two Seekers sitting in front of the bank of monitors. They were of course deeply engrossed in their work and at first didn't even look up as she entered. Taylor closed the door quietly and very carefully pressed down on the lock. It made the smallest of clicks and one of the Seekers looked up. He returned her wide smile with one of his own.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't see you come in," said the first Seeker.

The other Seeker turned from his worked and blinked in surprise. "What are you doing here…"

"I'm sorry…" said Agent Taylor interrupting the man. She stepped closer to the two and leaned towards them. In a loud whisper she continued, "Seekers, I have terrible news. We are under attack."

Surprised they both turned back to their many monitors, looking for a threat. When nothing apparently was wrong they grew confused and the first Seeker asked, "Who is attacking us?

"Me," said Agent Taylor and she lunged towards the first Seeker. The speed and surprise of her attack left him completely defenseless. Her small but sharp knife she had palmed in her right hand sunk deep into his neck. With a vicious twist of the knife she cut his body's jugular vein and then yanked the blood soaked knife out.

The other Seeker jumped up in alarm from Taylor's attack on his fellow Seeker. His eyes wide in both alarm and fear from her actions, but he didn't reach for his side arm. It wasn't his first instinct to reach for a weapon when around someone he considered his own kind.

All too slowly he went for his gun and Taylor was on him. She smashed her right elbow into his jaw and his head knocked back violently. His body became unbalanced from the blow and he tipped back only to slam the back of his head into one of the monitors. Expertly Taylor twisted and grabbed his right hand with her left and pulled hard. Dazed from the two hard blows to the head the Seeker staggered forward and Taylor slashed across his throat with her bloody knife. One more hard punch from Taylor's left fist to his head and the Seeker crashed face first into the floor.

Quickly kneeling down next to the man Taylor raised her deadly knife and stabbed it into the back of his neck, right above his insertion scar. For a long second the body twitched and jerked as the parasite controlling him died, and then the body lay still. She pulled the knife out and found it now covered in a mix of both red and silver blood.

Taylor stood up and turned to find the first Seeker lying in a pool of his body's own blood. He was desperately trying to hold his hand to his throat to stop the blood flow. But with his jugular cut, his heart was quickly pumping it all out. His mouth open and closed, a few trickles of bloody saliva running out. As she watched the silver in his eyes were already fading.

The Seeker managed to get one last word out before his body shutdown from blood loss. Taylor barely heard him speak. "Why?"

"We're at war," replied Agent Taylor. It was the only explanation she had or needed.

With the gruesome part of her job done, Agent Taylor sat down in the chair in front of the security dash-board. One of the screens had cracked where she slammed the Seeker's head. But it wasn't critical for her work. Quickly she began to work the many controls. She shutdown several security systems in the building, then the phones, and finally unlocked the basement access door.

Watching one of the monitors she waited only a few moments before seeing it slowly open from the outside. Four men suited in black body armor, carrying bags of equipment and many weapons, stepped into view. Agent Gray came first, his men following closely behind. The stopped for one moment, looking up at the camera. All of them gave a quick, simple nod of their heads.

Taylor watched her fellow Agents on the screen and said with a grim smile, "Gentlemen, welcome to theWit."

* * *

####

* * *

Burns Living Flowers wasn't sure how he ended up carrying the girl Mia. She wasn't too heavy and his body was reasonably strong, so she wasn't a burden. He knew he should have been afraid of her, after her attack on Wanderer. But when he first saw her in the tunnel when she switched on her small flashlight, his heart ached at the sight of the small girl. Mia was badly bruised, battered, and bleeding.

Mia had stood in the tunnel, almost ready to collapse. The three Humans had rushed up to the girl, shocked at her appearance, but also desperate to turn off her light. Even its small light might attract the nearby Seekers. But when Burns drew near the girl, Mia flinched away from him. She had looked up at him and said sullenly, "Oh, it's you."

But with the Seekers quickly closing, there was little time for Mia's dislike of Souls. She would rather deal with him than a group of Seekers. Extinguishing her light, Ian had picked her up and they continued down the tunnel. With Mia's guidance they were finally able to out maneuver the pursuing Seekers. The girl knew each of these tunnels with incredible accuracy. She knew exactly how many steps to take, even in absolute darkness, to guide them to safety.

However it wasn't long before Mia complained Ian was hurting her while he carried her. The girl had a large nasty cut on her right side and Ian's movements were pulling on the wound while he carried her. After they took a short break, Nate tried carrying her, with even worse results. Lacey clearly wasn't going to be able to carry Mia, so the job fell to Burns.

"I'll walk," said Mia stiffly when he tried to pick her up.

"Mia," pleaded Burns, "please let me help you. You're badly hurt."

The girl's response was an odd one, "You'll make my skin itch." Burns couldn't understand what her words could mean. She stood up and tried to walk, but only made it a few steps before her legs failed her. Burns was over to her in a second, carefully pulling her into his arms. She squirmed to get away but after she pulled against her cut she let out a faint moan. Finally, tired of fighting with him she lay still.

Now out of danger Ian risked turning on his flashlight. The grey walls of the tunnel lit up and they could finally make decent speed. Burns was being very careful as they walked, not wanting to cause Mia further pain. The girl seemed passive enough, but he remembered Scott's warning about how volatile the odd girl could become without any reason.

Burns meticulous efforts to not cause Mia any pain seemed to be working. For as they moved along the girl said, "Mia could get use to this. Bright Eyes Burns could be my personal trolley."

Risking a small smile to Mia Burns said, "See I won't hurt you." Burns was aghast at Mia's injuries. He couldn't believe the Seekers would do this to her or kill Tim. He shuddered at the thought of Souls become as violent as humans.

"You Bright Eyes never hurt anyone. Only the dumb Seekers hurt people," replied Mia.

"Mia," began Burns but then stopped. While running from the Seekers they didn't have time to question Mia about what had happened. Talking about her injuries might upset Mia, but Burns needed to know what had happened. So much had been lost because of Tim's death, he needed to know. Needed to understand why the Seekers had done this terrible thing.

Burns began again, "Mia, I'm sorry the Seekers hurt you."

Mia frowned and then said slowly, "The Seekers didn't hurt me. They did."

Ian stopped walking and turned back to look at Mia. "What did you say?"

Mia was quiet for a moment and then she softly began to cry. "Seekers didn't hurt me…they hurt me…they killed Tim," said a tearful Mia.

"Whose they?" asked Nate in bewilderment.

"Men in masks with guns and knives," replied Mia as she continued to cry.

"Not Seekers? Not Souls?" demanded Ian.

"Had bright eyes..but no creepy crawlies…not Souls…and the monster," came Mia's broken response as she began to cry harder.

"God, she really is crazy," remarked Lacey.

Burns gave Lacey a look which bordered on glare. He sat down on the cold ground and tenderly cradled the softly crying girl and whispered soft reassurances to her. Ian quietly remarked they needed to keep moving, but Burns shook his head. Mia needed time and for the moment they could wait. Slowly Mia stopped crying and Burns gently whipped her eyes of her tears. Nate handed him a wadded up piece of Kleenex, it wasn't much, but Burns did his best to clean the girl's dirty and tear streaked face. She smiled faintly at Burns as he worked.

"Mia," said Nate quietly, "We need to understand what happened to you." He sighed deeply and added, "A lot of bad things have happened. Marc and the others found Tim. They are really angry. They think the Seekers killed him. If that's not true, we need to tell them."

Mia sniffed but nodded faintly. "There were five men in the tunnels, they found me and Tim. They shot Tim…and I heard them say they wanted to make it look like the Seekers did it."

"What the hell for?" asked Ian angrily.

"The one called Williams said it was because we cured the sickness, his people were angry at Brother Marc and the others," replied Mia.

A long silence followed Mia's answer. Then all at once the three Humans began talking in a mad rush of questions to Mia and to each other. Mia cringed in his arms from the noise and Burns pleaded for quiet. Nate held up his hands to his fellow Humans, imploring the others to drop their voices. Voices carried in the tunnels and no one desired to attract the Seekers.

When they had quieted Burns asked the girl, "Mia, this is very important. You're sure these men were Human and they claimed to have made the plague?"

Mia nodded solemnly and then added, "Not sure about the one called Adams. He looked Human, but his eyes…" She trailed off and shuddered.

"What about his eyes?" asked Burns. "Was his eyes…like mine?"

Mia shook her head. She trembled in arms. Clearly she was terrified of this Adams. In a frail whisper she answered, "No…not like yours, not like mine. His eyes were black…nothing but black."

* * *

####

* * *

Seeker Skyward Into the Night stepped into the small waiting room where Seeker Twice Fires was waiting. The Seeker, in his new body, was standing with his arms crossed as he looked out the window of the room. Skyward could see the sun had nearly set, and the lights of the city were just beginning to appear. Twice Fires was watching the traffic pass by on the street below with a blank expression on his face. He didn't move as Skyward approached, his body was silent except for his slow and even breathing.

"Twice Fires," said Skyward as he stepped up to the large man.

When Twice Fires didn't immediately respond, Skyward lightly touched him on his arm. The Seeker started, startled, but then relaxed when he turned to see the smaller man. Skyward lightly frowned at the Seeker. Twice Fires had been very quiet since they reached the Administrative Building, Skyward wondered if there was anything wrong. "Are you alright, Twice Fires?"

"Perfect," replied the Seeker in a deep even voice.

"Good," replied Skyward with a small smile. "The Quorum will meet with you soon."

"Excellent," replied Twice Fires with a wide smile. "I've been waiting to meet with your Quorum for quite some time."

Skyward's frown deepened at Twice Fires odd answer. Twice Fires' face had an odd expression on it, a mix of amusement and disgust. He began to ask what did he mean by 'your Quorum' when Twice Fires interrupted him. "Seeker Skyward Into the Night you have been most helpful today."

Skyward blinked, Twice Fires was acting very oddly. Concern began to build in the Seeker; Twice Fires had acted normal since his insertion. He had been very helpful with locating and disposing of the bombs around the city. But now something had changed, perhaps the strain of controlling this Host was proving difficult for the Seeker. Skyward was about to ask if Twice Fires would like to see a Comforter when there was a muffled bang from outside the small waiting room.

Turning to see what was the source of the noise, Skyward found himself suddenly and roughly grabbed by the other man. Twice Fires' body threw Skyward at the wall with almost no effort. Hitting the wall with enough force to knock the wind from his body, Skyward collapsed to his knees.

Gasping for breath Skyward looked up at man who towered over him. "Twice Fires?" he asked in quivering voice.

"Unavailable," replied the man.

"Twice Fires" body began to rub his right eye with fingers. As Skyward watched in shock, the man began to slowly peel a thin membrane from his right eye. It pulled free and after blinking for a moment he stared down at the Seeker with a bemused expression on his face. "I've had to wear these all day, it's been quite irritating. It will be good to take them off."

Horror etched across Skyward's face as he watched. From where the membrane was removed from the eye…it was black. The pupil, iris, and the rest were a uniform black, a deep abyssal black. Soon the man removed the other membrane from his left eye. Two black eyes glared balefully down at Skyward.

There was another heavy thud from just outside the door of the room and then the door burst open. The terrible black eyes turned from Skyward to the doorway and Skyward forced himself to turn as well. A dark dressed Seeker staggered into the room, clutching his neck, blood leaking from a deep cut on his neck. The Seeker managed only a few steps before hitting the floor. Another body quickly moved into the room.

At the sight of the new person, Skyward felt a jolt of relief. He recognized this body, this woman, she was a fellow Seeker. Pushing himself up he said in a near shout, "Seeker Simple Sunlight, watch out. Something is very wrong with Seeker Twice Fires."

But Simple Sunlight only glared at him. It was only then Skyward noticed she was carrying a knife in one hand and a pistol in the other. And the knife was slick with blood. With a casual move she raised the gun and trained it at Skyward.

Simple Sunlight's expression was cold and calculating as she watched Skyward. She made a small turn of her head to where Twice Fires body stood. With the faintest of smiles she said, "Agent Adams, everything is ready."

Agent Adams smiled broadly. "Good. Very Good. You've done an excellent job, Agent Taylor."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: The identity of Simple Sunlight has been a long time coming. Hopefully its comes as a surprise. If you go back an reread her conversations with Bright Moon they take on a whole new meaning.  
> As for Adams, you learn much more about him next chapter.  
> As always read and review.  
> Thanks
> 
> -Walker.


	17. Assault

"I'm so sorry Mel."

Melanie Stryder looked up and blinked slowly at Wanda. She had sat very still in her chair, staring down at her chained hands with an expression on her face which could best be described as complete despair. Wanda felt her whole heart ache miserably for her friend, for her sister. It was because of her Melanie was once again captured by the Seekers. The guilt for Melanie's plight rolled uncomfortably within her stomach as did her worry about Ian and the others.

Layered on top of this pain was the added horror of learning about the sabotaged ship and the loss of the cryotanks it carried. She had learned of the bombing when she had wakened and found herself guarded by black clad Seekers. This day filled with nothing but death. Human…Soul…So many dead…Wanda didn't think she could endure anymore.

Melanie managed the briefest of smiles and said with no humor, "That's the eighth time you've apologized."

Before Wanda could reply the door to the small room they waited in opened and two Seekers entered. The first was the young Seeker who stopped her in the train station. He regarded her with a mix of confusion and unease. The idea a Soul, like her, would willingly side with the Humans seemed to baffle him. The other Seeker was a blond-haired woman with bright blue eyes. Her body was slim and athletic, with a face which Wanda would describe as plain, but still pretty. She regarded Wanda impassively but her eyes narrowed when they focused on Melanie. For her part Melanie gave a barely visible shudder when the two Seekers entered the room.

The Seekers didn't sit down. Instead they stood over Wanda and Melanie, two soldiers appraising their prisoners. Only a small table physically separated the two groups, but in reality they couldn't be further apart. The female Seeker cleared her throat and said evenly, "I am Seeker Bright Moon on Fallen Snow." Her gazed move slowly off Melanie and focused on Wanda as she continued, "and you are Petals Open to the Moon. I would like to speak with you alone."

Wanda managed to keep herself from wincing. So far she'd managed to keep up this small deception with the Seekers. The Seekers identified her body as belonging to Petals Open to the Moon and Wanda had wisely chosen not to correct their error. Believing her a young and easily impressionable Soul, the Seekers thought her kidnapped by Humans and their unwitting ally. She had exploited this mistaken belief to convince the Seekers to let her see Melanie. If they realized in fact she was Wanderer, the Soul originally inserted into Melanie, they would see her for what she was…a traitor.

Fearing the Seekers only wished to take Melanie away for insertion, Wanda's mind raced to find a way to keep Melanie free, even if it was just for a few more minutes. Finding her voice she replied, "Seeker, anything you wish to say to me you can say to Melanie."

"You have been unduly influenced by these wild Humans long enough, young one," replied the Seeker with an unusual amount of intensity in her voice. She faced Melanie and stuck out an accusing finger at the human. "You and your kind murdered a ship full of Souls. I have nothing to say to you."

Wanda flinched back at the anger in the Seeker's words, but Melanie raised her head from where she sat staring at her hands and met Bright Moon's gaze. Misery on Melanie's face deepened and she in a faint voice, "I'm sorry. I really am sorry about Souls on the ship… We didn't have anything to do with the bombing."

Melanie's sympathy for the dead Souls threw off the Seeker. She didn't expect Melanie's answer. But she quickly recovered and turned back to Wanda. She gazed down and said in a tight voice, "You see? She is lying…She claims to care for murdered Souls, but I assure you she's secretly elated. I don't know how you've been influenced by this Human, but it ends now."

Wanda felt herself begin to smile. It was an absurd smile in a day filled with anger, despair, and destruction, but Wanda couldn't help stop her mouth from turning up its corners. Perhaps it was seeing Mel express sorrow for her people after everything she'd been through. Maybe it was for herself, a Soul desperately trying to keep a Human alive while both their two peoples readied to fight each other. Or maybe it was simply because Wanda was tired of giving into despair.

"Oh trust me, Melanie's quite good at influencing me," replied Wanda as her smile turned to a laugh. "But it's a two-way street, I've influenced her as well. She is not lying to you." Wanda felt her smile fade as she pictured the sleeping Souls' cryotanks ripping from the bombs and shuddered. With a deep sigh she repeated Melanie's words, "She didn't have anything to do with the bombing. Someone else has done this horrible deed."

Wanda wasn't certain what she expected her pleading with this Seeker to accomplish. This Bright Moon on Fallen Snow would likely not care what role Melanie or her other Human friends had in the bombing of the ship. She would only see another dangerous wild human, just another threat. A sudden and gruesome vision of Tim's body flashed through her mind. The Seekers were just as bad as the Humans who destroyed the ship and Wanda felt herself grow angry.

"We know who's responsible!" cried Bright Moon. Her anger derailed Wanda's own. The Seeker's face turned red with rage and she spat out each word as if each word scorched her mouth. "Marc Walters is behind all of this!"

Wanda pushed back from the table, alarmed at the Soul's anger. Startled by his fellow Seeker's outburst Night Ember Lights also cringed away. Only Melanie seemed unfazed. She gave Bright Moon on Fallen Snow a quizzical look and after a moment turned to Wanda.

"What," remarked Melanie dryly, "is wrong with the Seekers from this city? They're all nuts!"

Bright Moon on Fallen Snow took several deep breaths and slowly calmed herself. She didn't respond to Melanie's question or even look at the Human. Instead she leaned forward, resting her hands on the small table in front of Wanda, and gazed into Wanda's eyes. In a quiet voice, full of pleading, she said, "Seeker Twice Fires provided proof from a captured Human who has worked with Marc. Please Petals Open to the Moon, if you know anything about what Marc Walters is planning; you must tell us so we can prevent more deaths."

Wanda was still for several seconds. She wasn't sure if she should believe the Seeker or not. In the short time she had known Marc Walters she would not have judged him to be secretly plotting to attack the Souls. Yesterday he and Wanda had worked the entire day to lay out a proposal for a long-term peace with her people. But this Bright Moon seemed so earnest about stopping the violence. Finally she asked, "Who? Who of Marc's people do you have?"

"A Human male from outside the city, he attacked my team when we attempted to find one of his victims," explained the Seeker. "He was behind the bombing of the shuttle, we know he meet with Marc yesterday morning."

Wanda frowned. The Seeker's story didn't make sense. Was the Seeker lying to her? Lying to another Soul? Before she could ask for details Melanie spoke up, her voice an angry crack of laughter. "Really? Funny I don't remember meeting with any bomber yesterday." Mel's face hardened in anger and she glared up at Bright Moon. "How about you tell me which one of you bastards shot Tim?"

Bright Moon's face went through several emotions in rapid seconds. Anger, confusion, and disbelief passed on the Seeker's face, then finally resting on deep suspicion. She gazed down at Melanie and said in an icy tone, "Human, you will be silent. I don't know what you are talking about. And I don't know what happened to the Soul Wanderer or what you are doing here in Chicago, but I intend to find out." Turning to Seeker Night Ember Lights the Seeker ordered him to prepare Melanie for insertion. Melanie paled and desperately pulled on her restraints holding her to the chair.

"Please," begged Wanda. She looked from Melanie to the Seekers and spoke in as soft and calming voice she could manage. "Seeker Bright Moon, I don't know what you've been told but please believe me." Wanda paused and swallowed, forcing her fears down into the pit of her stomach, as she desperately played her last gambit. "I traveled to this city to try to find the Humans who cured the plague. When I found them all we have done was to try to find peace. Find a way to co-exist."

Standing Wanda pushed herself between Melanie and the Seekers. Her small body a poor shield for Melanie but Wanda pressed on. "She isn't your enemy, "said Wanda with nod to Melanie behind her. "And Marc's people aren't your enemy. I know Marc didn't meet with anyone from the outside yesterday. Whoever told you this is wrong."

"Petals…" began Bright Moon with a resigned sigh and then stopped. Her eyes narrowed as she watched Wanda closely. Her cold blue eyes softened into surprise and she asked, "You aren't Petals Open to the Moon. Who are you?"

Wanda closed her eyes and spoke barely above a whisper, "I am Wanderer." She opened her eyes and continued as she stared into Bright Moon on Fallen Snow's shocked bright blue ones, "Please don't hurt Melanie. Please don't hurt my sister."

The room was completely silent for long seconds and then Melanie hissed from behind her, her voice filled with irritation, "Wanda!"

Seeker Bright Moon sat down heavily in the chair opposite Wanda, the Seeker's face blank with shock. She had obviously not expected Wanda's answer or her true identity. Wanda continued to stand, watching both the Seekers. While Bright Moon on Fallen Snow sat and stared blankly at the far wall Seeker Night Ember Lights asked, "Wanderer, what has happened to Petals Open to the Moon?"

"She's fine," said Wanda, not quite able to meet the dark-skinned Seeker's gaze, "She's in hibernation on her way to the Flower world."

"Oh," was all Night Ember Lights could manage.

"Influenced by your host," said Bright Moon slowly. She had turned from her stare down with the wall and regarded Wanda with an unreadable expression on her face. She leaned to the side so she could address Melanie. "Both of you existed in one…body?"

"Yeah, it was a ton of fun for the both of us," replied Melanie sardonically after Wanda returned to her seat. Both women continue to stare at the two Seekers, uncertain what would happen next. For the moment Seeker Bright Moon's orders for Melanie halted. Wanda herself felt a wave of nervous energy pass over her. Would the Seekers listen to her? Or would they order her removed and shipped off planet? She closed her eyes and Ian's face with his bright sapphire eyes and wonderful smile filled her vision. Wanda determined right then and there she would die before the Seekers tried to remove her from her life and love.

Wanda opened her eyes to see Bright Moon staring at her steadily. All the cards were on the table, as Jeb would say. Wanda took a deep breath to steady herself and pushed forward. "Seeker Bright Moon, one of Marc's people was killed today. Tim was just…a child. They think the Seekers are responsible." She watched the Seeker closely, putting her own meager skills at lie detecting to the test. Wanda was rewarded by a look of astonishment and then horror on Bright Moon's face. She didn't think even a Human could be so convincing with a lie, the Seeker truly didn't know about Tim.

"We've not sent any teams into the tunnels until you arrived at the Randolph Station," replied Night Ember Lights with a confused look on his face. "And deadly force would be only used in the most extreme case."

"Well somebody killed Tim," snapped Melanie as she glared at the two Seekers. She seemed less willing to believe the young Seeker's words. "And let me tell you, they're pissed."

"Marc would be furious," said Bright Moon softly to herself. The Seeker continued with a growing sense of alarm, "he will send out how to remove us!"

"Yes," said Wanda sadly. "I tried to talk him out of his plan, but he resolved to carry it out." She hesitated and prayed Melanie would forgive her. "He plans to forcibly take Hancock Tower's radio transmitter to broadcast his message."

Wanda didn't need to turn to see Melanie's expression; she could practically feel her sister's shock at her betrayal. Mel's words cut into her painfully, "Wanda…no! You'll get them all killed!"

"No," said Wanda forcefully as she addressed both the Seekers and Melanie. "They haven't attacked yet or we would have heard about it already. There is still time to stop all of this before it gets worse. Marc and his people haven't attacked the Souls. The Seekers haven't attacked the Humans." She turned to Bright Moon on Fallen Snow and implored, "I don't know why your Seeker Twice Fires reported Marc working with this Human, but I assure you this supposed meeting did not happen. Right now both Humans and Souls need to stop and _talk_ to each other. "

A pained expression crossed Bright Moon's face, but Wanda saw something else, a look of…relief? Bright Moon smiled slightly, more to herself than anyone else, and then frowned intensely. Wanda wasn't sure what to make of the Seeker's emotions but felt a growing sense of success when Bright Moon slowly nodded to Wanda.

Standing up Bright Moon said solemnly, "We need to speak with the Quorum." She glanced between Melanie and Wanda and added, "All of us will need to explain this…situation." Wanda nodded and rose to her feet.

Then with an audible snap all the lights went out.

* * *

####

* * *

"The tunnels are hot!" exclaimed Eric as he bent over his keyboard on his desk. His face illuminated by nothing more than the half-dozen screens around him. Marc and Dell stood behind Eric as they watched the computer hacker work. Both men exchanged unhappy looks at the news.

"Are they headed our way?" asked Marc with a tired sigh. He stood with his arms crossed and his face tight with long hours of both stress and anger.

Eric entered a few commands on his keyboard and examined the results on one of his screens. After a few moments he replied, "No, not so far. Looks like a standard sweep and clear. At least four teams involved, but they're all south of us."

"They're hunting someone, who?" asked Dell as he rubbed his face with a large hand.

"One guess," grumbled Marc. He held up a hand as he counted off, "Nate, Ian, Melanie, Lacey, and two Souls."

"Those idiots must have tipped off the Seekers when they came out of the tunnels," replied a quickly growing angry Dell. "I knew we should have held them here."

"Not our problem now," said Marc with a sigh. He turned and stalked out of the room and down the hallway. Marc had enough problems on his mind to worry about their former guests. In the time since Ian and the others had left Marc and his people had been busy with packing up and preparing for one last raid. But they had spent precious time to stop and conduct a short funeral for Tim. His body now buried deep in the tunnels where no Seeker would ever find him. Marc wished they had time for something greater, Tim deserved far more than a shallow grave and a few short minutes of remembrance by his only family.

Dell turned and followed after Marc, the big man's features still set in a deep scowl. Catching up to Marc he said, "We should hit the tunnels and pull them in. If the Seekers capture them…"

"We don't have time. We need to get moving on getting our good news out to what remains of humanity," replied Marc with a humorless smile as the two men walked along. Marc stopped when he saw Dell shake his big head slowly. "We blindfolded them on coming here and sending them back, they can't tell anyone how to get here." added Marc.

"They know we are planning to go after Hancock Tower. If the Seekers catch wind of what we're going to do, they'll have an army waiting for us," snapped back Dell.

Marc stopped and turned to Dell. He gave the big man a sly smile, "Well, maybe we don't hit Hancock Tower…Maybe we hit Willis Tower or one of the others. Chicago does have so many radio stations. The Seekers will spread themselves pretty thin trying to cover them all."

At first Dell grinned at Marc's plan but then his faced darkened. "Did you plan on this? Plan on Ian and the others getting captured?"

Marc made a weak shrug and began walking again. Dell's continuing scowl only deepened and the big man let out a low grumble of displeasure. With two large strides he caught up to the spiky haired man and caught his arm. "Marc," began Dell as he dropped his angry scowl and spoke softly.

"Well it's not like I planned on it or wanted them captured, but if it happens…then it happens," answered Marc after a long moment of hesitation.

Dell appraised Marc silently for a moment and then said, "That's pretty damn heartless."

Marc looked down to the ground, not wanting to meet his friend's accusing eyes. When he finally did his brown eyes filled with quiet grief. "Dell, do you honestly think we're coming back from this raid? We bust our way into a radio tower, we don't walk away. Not this time. Right now we've got to take any advantage we can."

To Marc's surprise Dell's face broke out into a wide smile. "We've lived here by the skin of our teeth for years. The fact we made this far is a damn miracle. If this is our swan song…I've got no complaints." Then Dell held up his index finger, "But you really plan to lead us all on a suicide run? You think Sarah and Alexis want to see Mike run off to die? You think Greg and Nancy are ready to go down in a hail of gun fire?"

Marc looked away again, not able to meet Dell's steady gaze. He mumbled out quietly, "We'll need nearly everybody to pull off this attack. What do you want me to do? Call off the raid?"

"Marc," began Dell somberly, "People here follow you because you gave them hope. You managed to build a place for us right in the middle of the enemy's stronghold. Against the whole world of Souls you pulled it off."

"It wasn't just me," interrupted Marc. He now looked up to face his friend and continued, "We all made this happen. We all beat the odds together."

Dell nodded with a knowing smile, "Right! And how long do think people will follow you if you start using everyone as chess pieces? You think everyone is going to throw down their lives when you're willing to write off people as expendable?"

The small mountain of a man crossed his big arms as his smile faded and he grew deadly serious, "There is so few of us left. If were going down then at least treat us all as humans beings." Dell's grin returned, "I mean, who else is going to?"

Before Marc could answer Eric popped out of his room in an excited rush. He spun and hurried towards the two younger men. As he ran he called out, "Motion tracked just went off in the north tunnel. We've got something coming our way fast."

Both Dell and Marc looked at each other and then to Eric. Marc's jaw tightened as he gave Dell a small nod of his head, appreciation for Dell's words. Eric caught up to them and they quickly covered the remaining distance to their dining room. Here their little rebel clan was preparing for their upcoming raid. Scott and Kate were dividing out weapons and their meager supply of ammunition. Everyone raised their heads when the three men entered the room.

"We've got incoming," announced Dell to the assembled crowd. There were quick sounds of gulps and nervous chattering, but their initial fear died down quickly. Deep down everyone knew this was coming. A few moments of glances between their little clan and a slow but building resolve grew on their faces.

"Jason and Ross are checking the premier," said Scott as he handed Dell a pistol which not long ago belonged to the Seekers. Most if not all their weapons were originally used by the Seekers. In the world of the Souls, firearms were nearly nonexistent. Their small supplies would have to make do against the invaders. Putting on a holster on his belt Dell slipped the weapon in with practiced ease.

Eric had already grabbed the phone receiver from a battered and worn pay phone mounted on one side of the wall. He had mounted the phone when the Humans set up camp here more than a month ago. The old phone provided a direct connection to tunnels making up the perimeter to their hideout's entrance. After letting it ring for more than a minute and the phone call not answered the older man shook his head sadly.

"Nothing," said Eric as he hung up the phone.

Knowing Jason wouldn't ignore a call Marc felt a tightening in his gut. The Seekers were here. He shoved his fear down and gave one word order to his assembled family. "Stairs!"

As one they filled out and headed down the narrow corridors of their home. A small army of armed men and women moved quickly down a set of twist and turns. As they marched Marc glanced between Dell, Eric, Scott, and the others. All of them prepared and resolute for what was coming. If the Seekers wanted a fight, then they would give it them.

Approaching the stairs leading down they heard voices on the stairs coming up in a rapid rush. March signaled them to stop. In the constricted hallway full of his people, Marc and the others made a living wall and an easy target for an attacker coming up the stairs. Quickly they pulled back and took refuge in doorways and other covered points. Weapons were quickly drawn and trained on the stairway

"Damn it they're fast," said Kate from behind Marc as they both leaned into the hallway's many doorways. They could make out one of the voices in the stairwell. It was unfamiliar to the both of them. Marc steeled himself as the voices grew louder.

Bounding up the stairs Jason came first into view, his short frame puffing hard. Quickly following Jason was a tall dark-haired man and then by a shorter woman. Jason was jabbering quickly as he ran, "…we'll need to get her to Simon right away."

"Move and your dead!" bellowed Dell.

Jason skidded to halt at the top the stairs, his eyes going wide. Behind him the tall man with black hair started and then swore as he took in the hallway of filled with weapons pointed at him. "What the hell are you guys doing?" snapped Ian.

"Did the Seekers take them over?" cried Lacey from behind Ian. She glanced nervously from one person to the next.

Marc stepped out from his doorway and crossed to Jason. His old friend gave him a confused look as Marc peered down at the shorter man. "Umm," began Jason uncertainly, "what's going on?"

"We get a ping on somebody heading our way," said Marc as he shifted his gaze over to Ian and Lacey. "Then we call you and we get nothing," continued Marc as he moved his eyes back to Jason. Jason shifted uncomfortable and Marc said plainly, "Let's see your eyes Jason."

"Damn it we're all human, except for Burns" said Ian angrily as he pushed his way up the remaining stairs. Flipping his flashlight on he shone the light into his face and revealed his eyes as his normal blue eyes. Impatiently he brought his light to Jason and then Lacey's face. "See?"

There was an audible sigh of relief from Marc's small army. Quickly guns and other weapons stowed as people in the hallway relaxed. Marc continued to scowl at Ian and Jason, not enjoying their surprise arrival even if it was far better than a horde of Seekers.

"How the hell did you find your way…" but Marc trailed off as he saw Nate and then Burns Living Flowers climb up the stairs. Burns holding a dirty and bloody body as he slowly made his way up the stairs. "Mia!" cried Marc. He was over to the red-haired Soul in an instant. Burns was carefully cradling Mia as he climbed the stairs.

Mia looked up to Marc and smiled faintly. "Brother, I'm back," she said with a faint smile.

"Sorry for dropping my post," said Jason apologetically from behind Marc. "But when Burns turned up in the tunnels carrying Mia, I got them in here as fast as I could. She's in pretty bad shape."

Looking over the Mia, Marc could tell from the large ugly bruises on her face and body someone had beaten her badly. From the look of her darkly stain clothes someone had cut her as well. Anger boiled in Marc and he glared at Burns with unveiled hate. "Who did this to her?"

Burns shrank back from Marc's anger as did Mia. The girl whimpered in Burns' arms. Then Marc felt a hand on his shoulder trying to pull him back. He whirled around and came face to face with Ian. Long hours of anger and stress exploded in Marc. He brought up his fist, ready to strike, but Ian beat him to the punch. Quite literally. Ian's fist smashed into Marc's jaw with a hard smack.

"Goddammit!" thunder Ian as Marc reeled back from Ian's blow. "Would you stop and listen for one second? Mia wasn't attacked by the Seekers. Neither was Tim." Between Ian's attack on Marc and his declaration that the Seekers weren't responsible for Tim or Mia there was a collective gasp from everyone in the hallway.

Ian looked between Marc and the other members of the Chicago cell and let out a shaky sigh "And just to make matter worse," said Ian, "Melanie and Wanda _have_ been taken by the Seekers. We need your help in getting them back."

Marc rubbed his jaw where Ian had hit him; the man did have a pretty decent swing. He tasted blood in his mouth and spit it on to the carpeted floor. Stalking over to Ian he glowered at the dark-haired man, for his part Ian glared back at Marc. Finally Marc said with forced grin, "Would you please start over? I was busy getting punched. What's this about you needing our help?"

Nate looked between Ian and Marc and rolled his eyes while shaking his head. "Marc, you need to listen to Mia. She's got one helluva of a story to tell."

* * *

####

* * *

Seeker Skyward Into the Night sat coiled on the sofa, his whole body trembling in fear. His arms pulled together behind his back and were painfully tied together with tight plastic bonds. His legs also tied with the same plastic, only slightly looser. It did allow for small amount of movement of his legs. But at the moment the Seeker was trying his best to pull his body into a tight ball and will his body to disappear into the cushions of sofa.

The source of his terror, Agent Adams, stood over the small man with a contemplative look on face. His black eyes calmly watched the quivering Seeker. He bent down and pulled the strip of duct tape from Skyward's mouth with a hard yank. The little man let out a pained squeal and Adams clamped a big hand down on his mouth. When satisfied the Seeker wasn't going to make any noise he removed his hand.

"Now…" began Adams.

"Seeker Twice Fires take control of your Host!" exclaimed Skyward in a rush of words.

Adams sighed heavily and pulled his right arm back. He closed his hand into a fist. Skyward saw what was coming and clenched his eyes shut as if not seeing the blow would somehow prevent its arrival. Adams almost lazily punched the man; he didn't put much effort into his blow. He didn't need to. The Seeker was so weak.

A low moan escaped Skyward and Adams patiently waited. After Skyward realized no further blows were coming he meekly opened his eyes and looked up at Adams. His whole body pale except for the darkening welt where Adams had hit him.

"If you interrupt me again," said Adams with quiet menace. "I will break your arm. Do you understand me?"

"Y..Y..Yes."

"Good," replied Adams. Now he lowered himself down to eye level with Skyward and began again. "Now the way I see it, you have three choices." Adams held up one finger and said, "You can kill yourself right now."

The Seekers eyes bulged but he said nothing.

Adams continued as he raised his second finger, "You can come with me and if you cause me problems or interfere with our plans I will pull you out of your host body. Then I'll slice your little silver body into strips and feed your worthless worm carcass to the birds."

At this Skyward's body trembled violently on the couch and the small Seeker let out a whine of fear. Adams laid one hand on the Skyward's body to keep the small man from shaking himself right of the sofa. Skyward cringed away, fearing another hit to his body.

"Now don't go offing yourself right away," said Adams coolly. "I think you'll like option three. If you come with me and if you are calm and quiet like a good little Soul you'll live through tonight." Adams leaned back and smiled faintly, "Hell, you'll likely be seen as a hero among your kind. Now what will it be Seeker?"

Skyward Into the Night swallowed and said in nervous whisper, "Why should I believe you? You plan to murder us all."

Closing his eyes Adams took a deep breath and let it out in a large huff. When he opened his eyes he said softly, "When Seeker Twice Fires started working in this city, you asked him why he wanted to become a Seeker." Adams tapped his bald head absently and went on, "Twice Fires was in awe of you. Your reputation preceded you. You're credited with the successful assimilation of the bat world. And even after living many lives with the bats you chose to come to this world in the first wave. Twice Fires saw you as a noble and valiant Seeker. He wanted to be just like you and he told you as much."

As Adams talked Skyward Into the Night's eyes widened in amazement. Now his unsteady voice asked, "How?"

"Everything Twice Fires knows, I know," replied Adams firmly.

Skyward managed to uncoil himself from where he sat as he stared at Adams in open amazement. He looked the heavily muscled man over but couldn't meet Adams' pitch black eyes. Skyward looked back down to the ground and said softly, "You are something new. Some type of stronger resistant human host."

"No…No…" interrupted Adams. He stood and then grabbed Skyward pulling the Seeker up to face him, forced him to look into his coal-black eyes. "I am not a resistant host. I am an _immune_ host! You can put one little worm after another in me and they will have no control over me. None at all. On the contrary I will control it."

Adams then dropped Skyward and the small man landed in a heap on the sofa. His eyes widened in amazement and fear of the Human who stood over him and watched with his inhuman black eyes. Adams casually placed the tape back across Skyward's mouth and walked back to the table where Agent Taylor sat working on a computer screen.

Taylor looked up from the computer screen when Adams sat down next to her. She glanced to where the cowering Seeker sat on the sofa and then back to Adams. She leaned in close and whispered, "You should just kill him now. He's such a little prick; trust me he'll try to find a way to interfere."

"All in good time Agent," replied Adams as he hooked his ear piece in and switched it on. He glanced back to Skyward and said with a shrug, "For now it's useful alive. If it offs the body we'll have enough time to retrieve the parasite and put it in cold storage."

Taylor nodded absently, "You're in charge." She glanced down to the computer screen and let out a nervous sigh. Adams watched he impassively and Taylor shrugged, "I've waited a long time for this moment."

"Then we are ready?" asked Adams.

Taylor surveyed her work on the computer and nodded. She touched her own ear piece and made sure it was firmly in place. It made a soft hiss in her ear as she broadcast to all agents.

Speaking softly but firmly Agent Taylor began, "To all Agents, on my mark. Three…"

* * *

####

* * *

The elevator rose automatically as Agents Williams and Gray doubled checked their equipment. Williams felt the weight of the AR-15 in his hands and let his mind drift to his training. There was no uncertain or doubt when his mind went to his training. The memories of his time spent at the Marine base at Parris Island where some of his strongest and clearest.

Williams wasn't certain but he believed he was eighteen when he had received his training. At his estimate he had received training their nearly twenty years ago. Much of his life was a blank now, all except for the little girl with blond hair, his Samantha. His most recent recovered memory nagged at him, as did letting Mia go. But his training was stronger and he banished his unneeded thoughts as he slowly breathed in an out.

Both Williams and Grey switched the safeties off on their weapons and then they felt the elevator slow and then softly come to a stop. In one smooth motion both men pulled their night vision goggles on. With a slight ding the doors slowly began to open. Both heard Agent Taylor's voice calmly over the link, "Two…"

* * *

####

* * *

"You ready kid?" asked Agent Kendrick to the younger Agent Anderson.

The young man nodded with a wide grin. "Born ready," he replied as he slipped his night vision equipment on as they both crouched in the building's stairwell. An emergency exit door next to them led to the outside floor. Faintly they could hear sounds of the parasites going about their work outside.

"Remember," said Agent Adams over the link, "the Quorum is to be taken alive. All other subjects eliminated."

Kendrick smiled to himself and began to push open the emergency door. More to himself then to Anderson he said, "This is going to be fun..."

Agent Taylor spoke clearly and calmly over the link, "One…"

* * *

####

* * *

With an audible snap all the lights in the Souls Administration building turned off. Even the emergency exits and backup lights. Less than half a second later the main power cut off and computers and other screens around the office went black. The many hallways and corridors of the building flooded with darkness. Souls working everywhere in the building began to look around in complete confusion. The soft silence shattered a second later as explosions rocked the building.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Well originally I had hoped to close out this story before June. Work's getting busy and I can't update as often, but I'm committed and I will get this story done. Thanks to everyone who has been reading and reviewing. It means a lot and I love the feed back. Please keep it up.
> 
> -Walker


	18. Pursuit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A minor warning. I'm pushing the T rating on this chapter. Nothing graphic, but the first three sections of this chapter are a little extra violent.

Setting into the west the sun left a dark hue of twilight above the city of Chicago. The unhurried traffic of cars and busses slowly moved down the city's streets. As the day wound down the city took on a soft glow as street lights and vehicles turned on their respective lights. Glass and steel buildings stretching up high above the streets lit up with warm radiance of electric lights.

Except one building did not, its lights flickered hesitantly in and outside the building, and then finally with a snap the lights went out. The Soul's Administration building sat dark for only a few seconds before several dazzling bright explosions erupted from near the base of the building. Glass windows blown out by the explosions, rained down on the streets bellow. Thick black smoke poured from the open wounds on the building.

Outside the building traffic froze as debris showered down. Pedestrians on the sidewalks near the crippled building ran in panic, many of them cut and bleeding by the falling glass. Some didn't walk away at all. Within moments of explosions a rush of calls were made to emergency services, which just as quickly dispatched fire trucks and ambulances. People uninjured by detonations and the falling wreckage rushed to the entrance, eager to help. Blocking their way, however, were the building's tightly locked doors and firmly closed security gates. All they could do was look at the ruined building and watch, the lights of the city reflecting in the silver of their eyes.

And inside the Administration Building chaos reigned…

* * *

####

* * *

Agent Williams ducked down as bullets whizzed just over his head. He pivoted smoothly to his right and returned fire. One of the Seekers firing on him and Gray dropped as Williams' return fire hit him in the chest. Three Seekers opened fire as the forth dove to the ground in a valiant effort to shield his comrade. Desperately he began pulling the fallen Seeker back behind the cover of a desk when Gray took aim and hit him twice in the mid-section. Williams then finished him and the original fallen Seeker off with a quick burst of gun fire from his own weapon.

A cry of anguish came from the remaining Seekers at the sight of the two dead parasites. Aggrieved they concentrated their fire at Williams. Two shoots hit in the upper chest, but his thick Kevlar body armor easily absorbed the impact.

Gray and Williams had caught the Seekers' flat footed. Only some of the black dressed parasites were armed and those who were only had small pistols and hand guns. Not nearly enough against the heavily armed and armored invaders. The hallway behind them, littered with bodies, was testimony to just how unprepared the Agents had caught the parasites.

Agent Taylor had provided estimates on how many Seekers were at the Administration building. Dozens of Seeker on patrol at any given time, far more than would make sense. The parasites had been paranoid when dealing with Marc Walters, assuming him to be some type of dangerous insurgent. Williams and Gray were quickly and efficiently showing them what real insurgents could do. But here the Seekers had rallied and fought back vigorously. Williams begrudgingly respected their valor and bravery.

"Enough of this bullshit," snapped Gray as another series of bullets struck the wall near him and peppered him with dull grey plaster bits. He pulled one of the fragmentation grenades from his belt and yanked its pin out.

Williams nodded in understanding and lay down a line of suppressing fire on the remaining Seekers. The parasites pulled back against their meager cover and Gray tossed his grenade. The Seekers saw the small oval bomb bounce and roll to a stop in front of them. There was one moment of desperate attempted retreat and then the shell exploded.

Deadly calm slowly returned to the hallway. No one moved, no one returned fire. Williams stood up to his full height and surveyed the carnage. He felt a growing pressure behind his eyes and he made several long blinks in attempt to relieve the tension. It didn't help much.

Gray joined him in the silent corridor as he reloaded his gun. As he regarded the dead bodies he spoke into his com-link, "Floor nineteen cleared, moving on to next objective."

* * *

####

* * *

There were no windows to the outside, nothing to bring in any outside light into this darkened passageway. But in the pale green glow of his night vision goggles Agent Kendrick could see nearly everything. Parasites, blind from both panic and the lack of light, ran from him. The tripped, fell, and the desperately pulled themselves up as they tried to flee before him.

Abruptly they changed direction and dove through a doorway to the right. Kendrick methodically closed the distance. He slowed and then stopped as entered a new room in his pursuit. Surveying the room he entered, Kendrick saw the open room around him was a lunch room or cafeteria. Tables and chairs were strewn all about him with a few tables showing trays of half eaten food on them, signs of their occupants leaving in a frenzied flight.

A light burst forth at the end of the room, a small square of bright light from a cell phone's screen. It was a feeble source of light, but in Kendrick's enhanced view it brightly lit up half a dozen men and women. Desperately they tried to force open a door and escape him.

There must have been enough light to show up Kendrick's form at the end of the room because the parasite holding the glowing screen gave a desperate cry, "He's here! He's here!" Several of the other parasites spun around formed a thin wall to protect the last one trying to open the door.

Kendrick pulled up his sub-machine gun and took aim. In the night vision the six parasites glowed in a soft emerald colors, but the silver in their eyes blazed with a fierce neon green. For a moment Kendrick paused.

There were not many memories of his past life Kendrick remembered and the few he did were not pleasant. But a dim old memory from his childhood welled up as he stood preparing to fire. He recalled his father teaching him to hunt on the old farm. Kendrick couldn't have been more than eight or nine. His father putting what seemed to Kendrick a huge rifle in his hands.

They had gone hunting rabbits and Kendrick could remember his first time he spotted his prey. How excited he felt as he took aim at the small creature. Remembered hesitating as his finger drifted near the trigger. Uncertainty clouding his young face

_"Son," said his father calmly in understanding, "don't hesitate. You're only delaying the inevitable. Make it quick and be done with it. Waiting will only cause suffering for you."_

As a boy he pulled the trigger and shot the hare. Now many years later Kendrick pulled the trigger again. The gun barked out and there were soft thuds as the bodies hit the floor.

There was no point in delaying the inevitable.

* * *

####

* * *

In the dull yellow light of Seeker Night Ember Light's flashlight Melanie yanked hard against the restraint which tied her to the chair. "Get me out of this thing," she growled at the Seeker.

The Seeker nervously glanced at the Human woman and then to his fellow Soul. Wanda nodded in agreement with Melanie. "Seeker, please let Melanie go. We need to leave." There was a distant sound of shots fired and Wanda added, "Quickly."

"But Seeker Bright Moon ordered us to stay here," gulped the young man. He cringed as there was another burst of gun fire from echoed from somewhere in the building.

"Okay that was before all the shooting," shot back Melanie. "She left to investigate the explosions. For all we know she's dead."

"She placed me in charge," replied the young Seeker with tone of defiance in his voice. He tried to put on a look of authority but he wasn't able to manage it. In a truly bizarre moment he reminded both Melanie and Wanda of Jamie when the teenage boy tried to act as an adult. Both women smiled to each other.

Wanda tried a different approach, "Night Ember Lights, Seeker Bright Moon left you in charge to guard Melanie and me. You must be certain to keep both of us safe," here Wanda carefully stressed each word, "you cannot do this if we are all dead."

The Seeker straightened and gazed at Melanie. "Humans are attacking us, that much is obvious. Why would they kill you?"

"I don't know whose attacking or what the hell is going on," snapped Melanie. She paused a second as there was another crack of weapons fire, this time ominously closer. "But from the sounds of things it doesn't sound like they are checking anyone's ID. We need to either get off this floor or find somewhere better to hide. Now."

Night Ember Lights looked to the closed door and then back to Melanie. Finally he relented and pulled a small key from a pocket. He closed the distance to Melanie and put the key in the lock on Melanie's wrist. He paused and glanced back to Wanda. "She will not attack me?"

Wanda managed her most sincere and innocent smile since she was inserted into Pet's body. "Seeker, Melanie will not harm you."

Melanie rolled her eyes hard enough to make herself feel dizzy. "I'll be good little Human. Just let's get the hell out of here."

The young Seeker nodded and turned the key. Quickly Melanie pulled the restraint off her arm and stood up. She was taller than the Seeker and Night Ember Lights took a step back. For a moment Melanie glowered at the Seeker as she rubbed her wrists but then her face lightened. "Thank you," she said softly.

"You're welcome," replied the Seeker who gained a slightly confused look on his face. He didn't seem to know what to do next so Wanda took the lead. She stood and crossed to the door. She slowly opened the door to reveal a darkened hallway beyond. Both Night Ember Lights and Melanie came up behind her.

The three of them peered around the corridor. The Seeker brought his flashlight out and panned it around. Its light illuminated an empty hallway and both Melanie and Wanda grimaced at the light. Night Ember Lights noticed their discomfort and shut the light off. "Apologies," said the Seeker in a low voice, "but with little light it will be difficult to move in the building."

"A lot better to trip and fall a few times than attract the people with the guns," whispered back Melanie. Night Ember Lights began to argue and Melanie turned to the Seeker with renewed anger in her voice. "Trust me I've got plenty of experience running in the dark, mostly from Seekers like you."

"Mel, please," said Wanda with a sigh as she looked over her shoulder at her sister. In the near darkness Melanie was just a tall shadow next to the shorter shadow of the Seeker. Mel made a faint groan but stopped quarreling with the Seeker. Glancing around the dark hallway again Wanda took a deep breath and let it out to settle herself. Feeling more than a bit jumpy in her body she carefully stepped into the hallway.

Wanda nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a hand on her left arm. But it was only Melanie. The tall brunette muttered an apology for frightening her and Wanda didn't even flinch when Night Ember Lights took her other arm. Turning away from where she had last heard gunshots Wanda and the others walked slowly into the darkness.

"Where are the stairs?" asked Melanie as they walked slowly forward.

"Down the hall and to the left," replied Night Ember Lights.

"We should head that way," agreed Wanda.

They turned into a nearby hallway and light from nearby buildings flowed in through the large glass panes making up the left side of the wall. Like the other hallway it was empty, not a Soul in sight. The additional light made it easier to see and Melanie let go of Wanda's arm. She moved up to the window and looked out.

"Whoa," said Melanie in a soft voice as she surveyed the damage. "Someone did a real number on the building."

"Do you still claim Marc Walter and his people are innocent of these attacks?" asked Night Ember Lights. The Seeker's words weren't angry when he asked Melanie, but he was still carefully scrutinized her for an answer.

Melanie turned back to Wanda meaning to ask her what she could possible say to get Night Ember Lights to believe her when she stopped short. Past Wanda, down at the end of the hallway, another figure emerged from one of the side passageways. For a moment Melanie believed the black dressed form was a Seeker. But she had never seen one the aliens dress like this before. The armored vest and thick body armor made the shape only vaguely human like. She could see no face; it was hidden by a mask and a complicated set of goggles. But it was the gun, something larger and meaner looking than Uncle Jeb's rifle, which was slowly raising and pointing towards Wanda caused her to cry out in alarm.

"Run." It came out hardly more than a startled gasp. Wanda cocked her head towards her, confused, and somehow Melanie found her voice. "RUN!"

In the time it took for both Souls to turn and see the threat at the end of the hallway the solider had already begun to fire. Melanie didn't see the bullets fly past her but she did hear them, a sharp crack as the ammunition hit the glass right next to her. Suddenly the young Seeker cried out as he clutched his leg where a dark stain was rapidly forming. He dropped down to his knees as another shot whistled past Melanie.

Wanda was quickly to the Seeker's side trying to pull him up. But her small size made this difficult. "Mel," she gasped out, "help me!"

Adrenalin spiked through Melanie and with a lurch she grabbed on to Wanda with one hand and the pulled the Seeker up with the other. The black clad solider strode closer, his weapon taking aim at her tall form.

Melanie leapt back down the dark corridor they just came from, supporting Night Ember Lights and nearly dragging Wanda with her. Heart pounding in her chest she rushed into the surrounding darkness. Her long strides pushed them further into the darkened corridor but Melanie didn't slow down. Memories of running from the Seekers down inky black hallways the first time she'd come to Chicago haunted her every step. It was not lost on her the irony of her situation. This time she was helping two Souls escape from something even more terrifying than the Seekers.

* * *

####

* * *

Seeker Bright Moon on Fallen Snow picked up the machine gun and studied it closely. She had not used such a weapon since her training when she arrived on Earth. She could manage with the smaller weapons Seekers normally used, but found this weapon too large to comfortably use. What was the Humans' need to continue to design and build larger and larger guns? Surely the hand gun she picked up now was more than adequate for any defensive need.

 _'Humans,'_ she thought to herself. Nothing about their race made any sense. She had seen before how Humans could be friendly and kind one moment and then become hostile and angry the next. Carrying and mercifully like Sister Mary-Margret or violent and brutal like Kane Adams. After meeting Melanie she found them even stranger still.

Resistant Hosts…It was whispered among Souls about some Human minds continuing on long after insertion, growing stronger instead of fading away. Not just actively resisting the control of the Soul but influencing and even in some rare cases taking control. The reports on Wanderer suggested Melanie had taken control and lead Wanderer to die in the desert. However the truth seemed much more complicated. Wanderer, or Wanda as she now called herself, explained it as a two-way street, both Soul and Human influencing each other. Now Human and Soul were friends, more than friends…Sisters.

Tucking the gun into her holster, Bright Moon pushed her questions about those two away for now. Much more pressing problems were drawing her attention. Hopefully they would be safe until she and the others could return in force. Picking up two extra clips of ammunition and pocketed them away, Bright Moon surveyed the other Seekers she managed to find on this floor. Nearby Seen through Clear Ice, Earthwise, and Andrew were also collecting weapons and ammunition. The four Seekers working through the small weapons cache in preparation to defend the Souls still in this building.

Bright Moon wasn't sure she believed Wanda and Melanie's claim of Marc Walters's innocence. A part of her wanted to believe them. Something clearly had gone wrong with Twice Fires' Host. Bright Moon had gone to investigate the explosions and power loss. She made it no farther than one floor down when dozens of Souls came rushing down the stairwell, desperately fleeing attacking gunmen from the floor above.

The power loss, the bombs, and the attack by Humans above all pointed to one conclusion in Bright Moon's mind…sabotage. If Wanda was correct and Seeker Twice Fires was lying, then this Adams might also be influencing or even controlling the Seeker.

Bringing her out of her thoughts Seen through Clear Ice asked, "Seeker Bright Moon, are you ready?"

With a simple nod of her head Bright Moon turned to see Seen picking up and load the larger machine gun with ammunition. The remaining Seekers were finishing their own preparations. Bright Moon wished they had access to the bullet-proof vests she had used earlier today. She had a feeling her small team would be out matched by the invaders. But there were many Souls still trapped on the floors above and they had to act.

Bright Moon followed after the other three Seekers as they left the small supply closet. They made for the stairwell leading up to the next floor. As they climbed they heard the faint but clearly recognizable sounds of gun fire coming from above floor. The four Seekers exchanged looks and as one they pulled their weapons from their holsters.

Climbing the rest of the way Bright Moon and Seen stopped by the door and listened. They heard nothing. Carefully opening the door they checked up and down the hallway. The corridor dimly lit from outside lights in nearby buildings and completely silent.

"Our priority should be on rescue and to report on the assailants," whispered Bright Moon. "We don't have sufficient resources to fight them."

"Agreed," said Seen as he and Seeker Andrew carefully checked a nearby office.

"How did they get in?" asked Earthwise as she nervously looked around the empty hallway.

"Shh," chided Bright Moon gently, "We can ask those questions later."

The Seekers proceeded cautiously down the hallway, checking each empty office as they passed. Coming to the end of the hallway they carefully checked around the corner. An empty and ominous silence filled the entire passageway before the four Seekers. The stillness shattered as a streak of something golden rushed into the nearby hallway. A woman, pale and panting, began running towards the Seekers as fast as she could.

Nearly colliding with Bright Moon the young woman eyes were wide with terror. "You're safe," said Bright Moon as she tried to calm the frightened Soul.

The woman didn't seem capable of hearing Bright Moon. Her eyes darted back to the way she came, her whole body trembling. She repeated the same words over and over, "It's going kill us…It's going to kill us…"

Seen through Clear Ice pulled the young Soul away from Bright Moon and pushed her firmly behind him. In a terse voice he commanded, "Fall back and let's see what we're dealing with."

"We don't know exact numbers, they may try to out flank us," added Bright Moon as the Seekers quickly retreated. While Seeker Earthwise tried to desperately calm the Soul, Andrew covered their path back to the stairwell. Bright Moon and Seen dropped low to the ground and glanced around the corner.

And very soon they saw the source of the woman's fear. A dark shape moved slowly and methodically into the hallway from where the Soul had run. It surveyed the hallway in quick deliberate motions, checking every doorway and corner.

Both Seekers pulled back as the form swept past their hiding spot. Bright Moon could feel her body's heart hammering in her chest as she tried to listen to hear if the figure approached. But her ears heard nothing in the adjacent hallway. When Seen risked a quick look back he made a quick intake of breath.

"There are two," he said in a low hiss.

Bright Moon glanced around the corner again and could see a second figure. It was closer than the first and she could make out the wrappings of dark Kevlar body armor. As it turned she saw the outline of a set of night vision goggles on the head.

She pulled back and whispered, "They're equipment with night vision. Seen, we need to go. They'll be able to see us easily."

"We need to know as much as much as he can," replied the Seeker. He chanced one more peek around the curve of the wall. No sooner than he done so there was a rapid burst of gunfire and the wall just above Seen exploded from a hail of bullets.

Fragments of the drywall and mortar showered over the two Seekers. Bright Moon pushed herself up and grabbed on to her fellow Seeker. She didn't see but could hear heavy footsteps behind them as the figure charged after them. For the second time today Bright Moon found herself in battle with a heavily armed wild Human.

"Retreat," yelled Seen as he and Bright Moon raced back towards the stairwell. He had blood run from a cut on his high forehead. Bright Moon hadn't time to check for injuries on her own body. Adrenaline was coursing through her body and she doubted she would've been able to tell if she was hurt.

Seekers Andrew and Earthwise were already at the door to the staircase. Andrew holding the door open and Earthwise leading the traumatized Soul. When she saw the two Seekers running towards her the small Soul let out a horse cry of alarm. In a desperate rush Bright Moon and Seen caught up to the other three and all five Souls dove back through the doorway into the stairwell.

Another barrage of bullets hit just as Andrew slammed the door close. The impact of the slugs on the steel door caused a loud ringing to echo in the narrow space of the stairway. As the echoes died away there was silence for a long second, everyone involuntarily holding their breath. Then a loud bang and the door to the outside began to push open. The armored man began to force his way in to the stairwell.

Seekers Andrew and Seen through Clear Ice jumped up and frantically pushed back on the door, trying to keep him out. Through the small safety glass window Bright Moon could see the dark lenses of the night vision headset peering at them. She could almost feel a hateful glare coming through the optics as the Human struggled to open the door.

Her mind racing from fear, stress, and adrenaline Bright Moon thought wildly, _'Such blind hatred.'_ Then another wild thought flowed from her first. There was another loud bang and the metal door pushed open a few inches. A black gloved hand forced it way though the opening and began to push open the door. Before the Seekers could push back to close the door, before the human warrior could react, and before Bright Moon could really think through her actions, she grabbed her flashlight from her belt and thrust it at the night vision goggles.

With a simple click she snapped the flashlight on and its light momentarily overloaded the night vision's sensors. The Human twisted back, temporarily blinded. Without hesitation Bright Moon forced her way past her fellow Seekers and slammed her flashlight into the high-tech optics. There was a loud crunch of glass and plastic. The flashlight sputtered out, but the damage was done.

Now truly blinded the black clad Human trashed about, trying to reach up and remove the ruined equipment from his head. At the same time he was trying to pull back out of the door way. Behind the damaged goggles and face-mask he let out a snarl of anger.

Bright Moon had acted so fast she barely realized what was happening. She only dully felt someone pulling her back. It was Seen through Clear Ice, he pulled her away from the struggling human. Before the Human could retreat the Seeker brought up his gun and pulled the trigger.

In the tight space of the stairwell the sound of the machine gun was defining. The shots blasted into the Human. The body armor absorbed the bullets, but at this close range the body jerked and twisted at the impacts. The Human bellowed, not in rage but in pain. He tumbled back as the withering barrage tore into him.

Suddenly the second solider was at the doorway, joining the first. But instead of fighting he pulled his wounded comrade away from Seen's weapons fire. The second warrior yanked the first up and began to half carry, half drag him away. The Seeker's machine-gun stopped firing as it ran out of ammunition. Momentarily routed, the Humans retreated into the darkness of the outside hallway.

Seen through Clear Ice dropped his gun to the floor and sagged against the wall. He let out a very shaky sigh. Bright Moon joined him, she could still feel her legs shaking and she wasn't sure they would properly support her weight. Nearby Seekers Earthwise and Andrew sat on the ground as they tried to comfort the distressed woman. The young Soul let our mournful keening. All this violence was simply too much for the gentle being.

"It's okay. It's okay," said Earthwise in oddly stilled voice as she tried to calm the young Soul. The Seeker was nearly as pale as the golden-haired woman.

"Good thinking with the flashlight," said Seen as he let out another shaky breath.

"Thank you," replied Bright Moon still trying to get control of her racing heart. She was about to suggest they retreat to the floor below when she heard the soft footfalls of someone on the flight of the stairs above them.

Bright Moon froze and Seen bent down to retrieve his weapon. Bright Moon was about to draw her own weapon when she heard a voice from above.

"Hello? Who's down there?" said the voice in soft, tentative words. Bright Moon frowned to herself. The voice was familiar to her.

Hesitantly she called back while her hand remained on her weapon, "Identify yourself."

"Seeker Bright Moon, is that you?" came the voice again. This time Bright Moon was sure she knew the owner of the voice. There were more footsteps as that someone raced down the stairs. Bright Moon blinked in surprise but also smiled in relief as the person appeared on the stairs above her.

Bright Moon stared at her fellow Seeker, "Simple Sunlight, what are you doing here?"

* * *

####

* * *

"Agent…Adams informs me if the Quorum members stay calm and do not try to escape there will be no further violence," explained Seeker Skyward Into the Night. He stood before the Quorum but addressed his fellow Souls in far different manner than Skyward originally planned.

Around him the other members of the Quorum all stared wide-eyed at the big human who stood behind Skyward with his arms crossed. Adams's deep black eyes swung over each Soul sitting at the Quorum's conference table. Each Soul averted their eyes when Adams gazed at them, none of them wanted to look into his terrible eyes.

After a long pause, Comforter Benjamin swallowed and asked nervously, "What assurances are you giving us there will be no additional violence?"

Skyward had no idea how to respond to the question, he glanced back to Adams, wishing he didn't need to meet the Human's disturbing face. But Adams appeared to have grown tired of letting Skyward talk. He casually pushed Skyward to the side and responded to the question.

"I give you no assurances," replied Adams calmly. From an over-sized pocket he pulled a small box. Its simple design had a key on one side and a large button on the other. He held it up to the assembled Souls and continued, "The trigger is set to detonate several bombs around the city."

Adams saw Skyward's surprise and with a smile explained, "Yes Seeker, the bombs I led you to today were decoys. I assure you the actual bombs are still present and quite lethal." He turned back to the Quorum and said, "Anyone who resists, anyone who tries to escape, or anyone who decides to suicide themselves and I'll push the trigger." His smile turned to a cruel smirk, "For the greater good, you will behave yourselves."

"How," began Healer Long Rivers as he gaped at Adams's threat. "Seeker Twice Fires…is joined to you…how can you remain in control?"

Looking down to the floor Skyward said softly, "He says he is immune to us."

"Impossible," breathed the Healer in disbelief.

"Oh, but I am possible," said Adams gravely. He walked slowly to the bearded Healer and gazed down at the man. Long Rivers shivers at the man's glare. "The little worm called Twice Fires is fused into my brain. But…it's dormant…asleep so to speak. It dreams pointless dreams as I wander through it's memories." He turned from Long Rivers and walked casually around room. "And such memories, little Twice Fires grew up as a Fire-Taster on Fire World. Such a violent little ecosystem…burning those Walking Flowers to keep himself alive.

Adams stopped in front Vermilion, the ruddy-faced woman going pale as he stared down at the Soul. "Do you know Vermilion how much Twice Fires loved burning the Walking Flowers? Loved inhaling the smoke from their burnt flesh?" asked Adams in a light voice dripping with sarcasm. The Soul Vermilion, a recent immigrant from the Flower World, began to shake in terror.

Educator Dry Sands on the Plain reached over to the frightened Soul and tried to calm her. She turned to Adams, fear on her face but with a firm voice said, "What do you want from us?"

Adams's answer surprised everyone in the room. "I wish to give you all a gift."

"What?" asked Benjamin. The white-haired Comforter stood up and forced himself to face down the black-eyed man. "What do you mean a gift?"

Adams simply cocked his head towards the Comforter and with a simple smile began. "You Souls are effectively immortal. As long as you have a healthy host body you will live on forever, right?" The gathered Souls all meekly nodded to Adams's question.

Spreading his arms wide Adams continued, "You'll live either as Human, or Spider, or Flower, but the point is you'll always be alive. You'll live one comfortable day to the next, everything in blessed pleasant conformity with the other Souls." Adams dropped his arms to his side and sneered, "When every day is like the next and little or nothing ever changes you'll be hard pressed to remember any one day from all the other perfect days."

The Souls of Quorum stared blankly at the Human, not understanding the point of his speech. But the coal-black eyes of Adams glinted with dark amusement and hatred as he stared at the collected Souls. He raised one finger and waggled it in front of them saying, "But not today. Today will be unlike any day you've had before, or any you'll have after. This day will be special. After I'm done with this city you'll always remember today…You'll never be able to escape it. It will live on forever in you."

Adams paused and smiled at their horrified faces. "For a race of immortals, what better gift could I give?"

* * *

####

* * *

"You're not thinking of skipping, are you?" asked Carves in Stone as he headed towards their next pickup.

"Oh no…no," replied Steven to his friend as the garbage truck bumped along the uneven surface of the narrow alley. "It's just after the sickness and today with the loss of the space ship…" Both Souls shuddered, both feeling a sharp pain from the loss of so many of their brethren. After a moment Steven continued, "We're just looking to relocate to some other part of this world."

"I though Song Weaver loved the city," said Carves in Stone as they pulled to a stop in front of a large dumpster. The rough plastic top of the dumpster barely contained all the refuge. He began operating the truck's forklift to dump the collected garbage.

"She does, but I think one of the warmer cities like Phoenix or Santa Fé would be better for us," explained Steven.

Both Souls watched the dumpster begin to slowly rise. Carves in Stone was about to respond when someone jumped on to the top the dumpster. Carves in Stone immediately stopped the lifter. He wondered why would any person do something so strange. The squat man remained standing, arms crossed, staring back at the two Souls.

Steven rolled down his window and stuck his head out. In cautious voice he said, "Please, can you get off the top of the dumpster? I wouldn't want you to get hurt."

"Screw off worm," said the man in an irritable voice. Steven had never heard a Soul say such words before. He turned to his friend uncertain what to do, but Carves in Stone had the same stunned expression on his face. It took Steven a long moment to realize the man standing bizarrely on the dumpster was a Human.

Before either Soul could respond a new voice rose up right next to Steven's opened window. "Now Jason, mind your manners, we need these nice people's help." A new man with spiky brown hair bonded up to the door and stuck his head in through the open window. He smiled broadly at both Souls.

Carves in Stone's mouth fell open as he recognized the man leaning into the truck. He'd seen his photograph many times on the TV as the Seekers searched for this man. Now the same wild Human grinned, almost manically, at Steven and Carves in Stone.

"The name's Marc Walters. We need to borrow your truck."


	19. Rescue

Seeker Quartz Sharp Webs yanked on a large chunk of concrete and managed to pull it free from the wreckage surrounding the Administration Building. He twisted his body and tossed the debris into a rapidly growing pile behind him. He felt very numb. As though his body's nervous system wasn't working correctly. Oddly this made him feel like he was back in his original host body. The Spiders had such a limited set of senses. So different from the human body he now inhabited, where every sense and emotion continuously assaulted him. The numbness he now felt was actually preferable.

Around him dozens of other Souls worked frantically to remove the ruble. Piles of glass, metal, and concrete scattered about the plaza leading into the large glass entrance to the wrecked building. Bending back down he helped a Soul in a body of an old woman remove some of the scraps of metal which he had freed when he removed the piece of concrete.

Glancing at the white-haired woman as they worked Quartz Sharp Webs felt a new emotion push out the numbness, a deep wave of horror filled him as he saw the large cut on her face. Red blood seeped down her face and soaked into her light grey blouse. The gash was deep enough on her face he could see the faint white of her cheek bone.

Placing a hand on her arm he felt a tremor run through her body. Attempting and failing to keep his voice calm Quartz Sharp Webs said in a distressed voice, "Please, you need to see a Healer. Don't worry. Others will help remove the ruble."

She turned to him and blinked slowly, not seeming to comprehend his words. She spoke in a faint voice. "I was just in there…I had just left…when the explosion…"

"I know…" replied Quartz Sharp Webs in an unsteady voice. "Please," he insisted, "get to a Healer." He pointed to a row of ambulances on the street. She again blinked slowly and Quartz Sharp Webs felt a new emotion build in his body – irritation. Still not use to how powerful and vivid these emotions could be in his human body, the Seeker worked to calm himself. Louder and much steadier he ordered, "Go! You will help no one if you collapse from shock. Go to the Healers now."

"Yes...S..Seeker," she stammered. She stood and slowly made her way out the surrounding crowd. She managed to make it out into the plaza surrounding the Administration Building when her body began to waver.

Quartz Sharp Webs watched as two Healers intercepted her. They quickly retrieved a stretcher and carried her away for medical treatment in the rows the flashing lights of the ambulances. Emergency vehicles of every type swarmed around the Administration Building and filled the street beyond. A literal legion of rescuers ready to help the trapped Souls. But for the moment they were thwarted by ruble and the sealed security gate just inside the glass doors. In the distance a horn blared and then faded.

Letting go of a breath he didn't even realize he was holding, Quartz Sharp Webs turned back to survey the work. Nearby a crew of firefighters attacked a section of steel and glass with fire axes in attempt to break through. A large burly man wearing the outfit of one of the firemen saw his interest and made his way over.

"Harold with the Fire Crew number 8," said the man in way of introduction. His large hand enveloped the Quartz's hand with ease. "Seeker Quartz Sharp Webs," replied the Seeker as Harold shook his hand.

"The main security door is still locked tight," said Harold in explanation as they both watched the firemen work at breaking down the door. The big man pursed his lips as watched. "We've called for some heavy machinery to help. But it's going to take time to get here." The sound of a horn bellowed again, briefly eclipsing the sounds of rescuers working to break into the building.

Worry formed on Harold's large face. The red and blue of flashing lights reflected in bright glints of light from the silver rings in his eyes. "Have we heard from anyone in the building?"

"No," replied Quartz Sharp Webs, his own worry and fear building in his body. He wished the feeling of numbness would return. It would be better than these wild emotions now coursing through his human body.

Harold turned back to his crew, preparing to give them an order when the horn once again blared. But this time it didn't stop. The loud siren wailed on and on from the street beyond. More than few Souls turned to look at the source of the noise when a loud crash came from just out of view.

Suddenly people were running down the street, away from the ear-splitting drone of the horn. There was another crash and this time Harold and the Seeker saw a small emergency vehicle tumble out of way, clipped by a large green truck as it roared past. The truck swayed haphazardly back and forth as it avoided parked vehicles, and then barely missed a fire truck. A crowd of onlookers dove out of the way as it lurched off the street and rushed into the plaza. All the while the truck's horn continued to shriek away.

Once on the plaza the truck stopped its constant weaving and against all reason picked up speed. It course now fixed upon the doors to the Administration Building. Harold was quicker to respond than the Quartz Sharp Webs. His burly frame's large arms frantically waved off the surrounding workers. The horn stopped blaring long enough for panicked cries of warning to reach the Souls who had not immediately jumped out of the path of wildly driven truck.

Brakes squealed at the last moment and the truck slowed as it passed Harold and Quartz Sharp Webs. Now both could see the vehicle was a city garbage truck. Both Souls stared, slack-jawed, as the garbage truck first hit the pile of debris still surrounding the crippled building. The truck's impact sent ruble in all directions. The truck's remaining momentum carried it into the glass and steel of the front entrance. It hit with a tremendous crash.

And yet the driver of the garbage truck wasn't done. Gears shifted and the truck began to slowly back away from the front doors. A series of beeps emitted from the truck as it reversed course. Quartz Sharp Webs continued to stare dumbfounded at the back of the dark green garbage truck, the words **'Keeping Your City Clean'** were written in bold white letters.

With a gnawing sound the transmission shifted gears, the engine revved, and the garbage truck launched forward. Once again the truck slammed into the security door. This time the truck's engine thundered as it steadily pushed against the steel frame of the entire entrance. At the same time the front loader of the garbage truck came to life, hydraulics whined as the loader pushed against the upper frame of the doors. The engine noise rose to a fever pitch as the truck steadily pressed against the door.

All at once the outer glass and steel structure of the entrance gave way. The sound of shattered glass and torn steel made a horrendous noise. But the garbage truck's size kept the front doorway of the building from fully collapsing. The outer frame balanced preciously on top of the garbage truck which had finally came to a halt. The large security gate, now broken and twisted, tottered and then finally fell back into the inside of the building with a loud boom. A deep black cloud of smoke belched out from the new opening and enveloped the truck. After a few seconds the truck's engine died and then slowly the smoke cleared. A profound silence filled the surrounding plaza as the crowd Souls stared astonished at the garbage truck and the hole it had created.

"Well damn," said a deep voice next to Seeker Quartz Sharp Webs. "I didn't think that would work."

Turning both Harold and the Seeker looked at a new figure that stood before them. The man was large, his broad shoulders larger than even Harold's. But the man's size wasn't what was so unusual; it was the bizarre clothing he wore. He dressed in black cloth which was haphazard sewn together to form something almost like a cloak and hood. His face was partial covered by a black sack cloth hood.

"Who are you…" began the Seeker but got no farther when the figure pulled his hood back. The man's dark skin blended in with his black clothing making him look like a living shadow. Only his white teeth set in a predatory grin and his very human dark grey eyes stood out.

Quartz Sharp Webs hands immediately went for his side arm. But the Human was faster. From the enfolded dark clothing he pulled a large hand gun. Its polished metal barrel glinted brightly from the nearby lights of the emergency vehicles as he pointed it at the Seeker. "Not so fast Seeker," said the human with a humorless smile. "Toss your piece on the ground and kick it over here." When the Seeker hesitated the Human added darkly, "I'm aiming to shoot someone tonight, best be hoping it isn't you."

With a nervous gulp Quartz Sharp Webs pulled his side arm from its holster and kicked it over. Both Harold and Quartz Sharp Webs backed slowly away while the man bent down and retrieved the weapon. Behind him the Seeker could hear the soft murmur of worry from his people as they took in the Human before them.

"Well now!" bellowed the Human to the assembled crowd. "My name is Odell Watson and I am a Human Being!" He step forward with large steps and the group of Souls took a collective nervous step back.

Odell surveyed the crowd, his watchful eyes shifting back and forth. "I've lived under this city for years. Hiding from you all, stealing from you, and barely scraping by." Odell paced back and forth in a tight line before the Souls, his gaze shifting back and forth as if he expected an attack by them at any moment. He stopped his pacing and stared angrily down at Seeker Quartz Sharp Webs. "While Seekers hunted us like animals."

"But not tonight! Tonight is our night!" yelled Odell with a whoop. He pointed into the now opened doorway of the Administrative Building and continued, "We have business in there and if you're smart you'll stay out of our way."

It was then Quartz Sharp Webs noticed there were other darkly dressed figures in the plaza. Like wraiths they emerged from the shadows. At first glance he counted twelve individuals making their way into the now open building. But then startled gasps from the crowd and Quartz Sharp Webs turned to see another dozen black cloaks coming from the street beyond. Many of them carried guns, knives, and other weapons. Fear of the advancing barbarian Humans drove the Souls from the opening, but the cloaked Humans paid little attention to the crowd as the entered the gloomy interior of the Administrative Building.

"What do you mean you have business?" asked a fearful Harold to Odell.

Odell looked Harold up and down as if to assess the Soul's purpose. The predatory grin reappeared and he replied, "This here is a rescue mission." With a roll of his wide shoulders he followed after the other Humans. He paused for a second before he entered and turned back to face the Fire Chief. "If we find any of your people we'll send them out," he said almost pleasantly to Harold. His eyes narrowed on Quartz Sharp Webs and he continued, "Don't think of following us in, if you do I promise you'll regret it." He spun back and disappeared into the darkness beyond.

* * *

####

* * *

"You're certifiably insane," said Ian to Marc as both men pulled themselves from wrecked cab of the garbage truck. The cab of the truck smashed in from where it was used as a battering ram and both men were forced to pull themselves through the driver's side window. Luckily Marc had rolled it down before smashing into the front of the doorway.

"Yeah likely I am," replied Marc as he jumped to the ground. He landed on the tiled floor scattered with debris and sprung up as if springs were attached to his feet. He surveyed the deserted lobby and then stretched his arms wide. With a grin he said, "But, crazy or not, we're in."

"In what is the question," said Scott. He appeared at the front of the opening dressed in the rebel's black clothing uniform. He was only a dark shadow in the lobby whose only light source came from the city beyond the hole they had smashed into the building. Other Human rebels were quickly streaming in behind him and taking positions around the lobby. None of them quite certain what to expect.

Ian jumped down from the truck and followed Marc to where he was examining the floor. Here the tiles of the floor were broken and chaotically strewn about. Scott followed after the two men. Marc straightened up and said, "Well I'm no expert but I'd say someone set off a bomb here." He looked around the empty lobby. "Either no one was here when it went off or…"

"…or the survivors carried away the dead and injured," finished Ian.

Marc looked thoughtful as he addressed Ian and Scott, "My experience with Souls is when threatened they tend to group up and try the best to hide. Usually a small confined place when possible."

Ian nodded, "When Wanda first came to us, she did the same thing…tried her best to hide in the smallest, darkest cave available."

"Yeah they really don't have a fight or flight instinctive response," added Scott. "It almost always just flight. Means they are likely holed up somewhere around here."

Jason and Nate tromped over joining the three men. Nate pulled the hood back on his loaned black outfit. He grinned as he examined the rest of the uniform. Pulling up some of the black cloth he showed Ian the silvery reflective material sewn into the underside of the cloak. "Pretty neat, they wove in a bunch Mylar sheets into this stuff."

"Cuts down a lot on your infrared profile," explained Scott. "As the Seekers started getting serious about finding us in the tunnels they brought in a lot IR cameras and night vision equipment. So we adapted."

"Yeah we didn't plan on dressing up like a bunch of Harry Potter rejects," said Jason as he unrolled two of the black outfits for Ian and Marc. "But if you wrap yourself too tight with this stuff you'll over heat fast."

"I don't know," said Nate as he helped Ian pull the black clothing on. "Those Souls outside sure got out of our way fast when they saw us marching across the street. You guys got the whole ominous vibe down."

A new voice boomed out from the besides the garbage truck. "They were still all a little shell-shocked from our remodeling of the front door." Dell strode in with the remaining rebels. He addressed Marc, "I didn't think your little stunt would work, but for the moment the Souls are holding back."

"Have a little faith," said Marc with a grin.

Their little rebel force of two dozen humans quickly assembled before Dell and Marc. "Alright," began Dell, "We're playing this like a standard smash and grab. We move fast and light, avoid the Souls when possible and look for Melanie and Wanda." There were quick nods of agreement from the assembled insurgents. Dell pulled a battered walkie-talkie from his belt and switched it on. "We're running on channel 3, everyone keep in contact. No exceptions." More quick nods from the assembled makeshift army.

"Our rally point is the elevator shaft to the sub-basement," said Marc as they began to advance into the wide hallway beyond the lobby. "It's our way out of this little nightmare and back to our tunnels."

Marc turned to Jason and Eric as they moved along and said, "The building's got more security cameras than just about any place we've been. Somewhere there is a control room for all of them, find it and take control of it if possible, if not then shut it down."

"We're on it," said Jason.

"One last thing, these people who killed Tim and tried to play us," warned Marc. He went silent, his jaw clenched in tightly controlled rage. Marc walked along for several steps and then stopped. Everyone else stopped as well. Pain and anger mixed on Marc's face as he looked to his people. When he spoke again his voice was quiet and distant. "We observer them, but if we get a chance to grab one of them, do it." His voice grew very dark, "I've got a few questions for them."

No one replied to Marc's implied threat, there was no need. After a few seconds they all began to silently walk along.

"Well," began Nate as they traveled deeper into the building. "Let's hope Lacey and Burns can buy us some time. Or this little rescue mission will be over before we know it."

* * *

####

* * *

"I hate, hate, hate this plan," complained Lacey as she examined her face in her compact. Its mirrored surface reflected the nearby street light into her face. A dull silver reflection of light came from her eyes. She blinked hard while watching herself in the mirror and added, "I don't do well with contacts."

Burns, who was acting as look out for Lacey, turned from where he was watching a growing crowd of his people on the street. He examined the small brunet woman; he paid close attention to her eyes. After considering for a moment he said softly, "Lacey the contacts are working. Your eyes look just like mine. No one will suspect you aren't a Seeker."

Lacey glowed. "That's not the point, Burns. If there are Seekers out in the crowd that know me…or her…or whatever," she trailed off with a frustrated sigh. "All the Seekers think I died out in the Arizona desert. What am I supposed to say to them?"

With a faint grin Burns said, "Sorry, deception and lying are human skills. I can't help you."

Lacey threw up her hands, exasperated. "Well them," she began with a sneer, "why did you agree to dress up as a Seeker? You'll have to lie to the Souls in the crowd."

Burns grimaced and shifted uncomfortably. "I know," he replied as he gestured to the tight black uniform both he and Lacey wore, "But I was the only one who fit the clothing other than Marc." With mild embarrassment he continued, "I was planning on following your lead."

Lacey looked down to the ground with pained expression. "I don't think I can do this."

Laying a hand gently on Lacey's shoulder Burns said softly, "Please Lacey, we need you. You know how the Seekers work, the right words to say. You can convince the crowd to stay out of the building." Lacey glanced up from the ground, her face still full of uncertainty. The Soul smiled with encouragement, "You don't need to fool them for long, just enough time for us to rescue Melanie and Wanderer."

With a deep sigh Lacey straightened and focused on the growing crowd of Souls in the plaza. She smooth out her black uniform and checked her eyes one last time with her mirror. Satisfied she turned to Burns and said in mild tone with a hint of obnoxiousness in her words, "Follow me Seeker Burns. Agree with everything I say." Without waiting for him to respond she began walking towards the crowd. After a moment's hesitation Burns obediently followed.

Lacey threaded her way through the gathered Souls with Burns following closely behind her. The people politely made way for the two would-be Seekers. Burns could hear worried voices throughout crowd as they passed. Many were greatly concerned about the Souls still trapped in the building, while others were concerned about further attacks by the wild Humans who had just forced their way into the building.

Nearing the center of the crowd both Lacey and Burns could see another Seeker. His clothing like the same black uniform Burns and Lacey wore, but it was dirty with sweat and grime from his labors to clear a path into the damaged building. His plain face was fraught with worry and stress. He was speaking with a squat wide shouldered man dressed in the light tan color of a firefighter's uniform. Their voices calm and pleasant, like all Souls, but there was an underlying hint of tension as they spoke. To Burns both men were close to having a full-blown argument. To Lacey the two men were merely having a minor disagreement.

"Harold I understand your point of view," said the Seeker, "but we must exercise caution. There are very few Seekers available. I can't grantee safety of anyone who goes inside."

"I know," replied Harold, "but Seeker Webs we can't just stand out here waiting for these Humans," he gestured a large hand towards the ruined front entrance. "Who knows what they are doing."

"Excuse me," interrupted Lacey loudly. Both men turned in surprise as they took in Lacey and Burns. The Seekers mild features broke into confusion as he stared at Lacey. "Umm…May I help you Seeker..?"

"We are," replied Lacey in a haughty tone as she indicated Burns and herself, "here to help you." She turned to Harold and with a frown asked, "Now what is this I'm hearing about entering the building?"

* * *

####

* * *

"So let me get this straight," whispered Melanie as she tied the ripped sleeve from her shirt around Seeker Night Ember Lights's leg as a makeshift bandage on his gunshot wound. "You joined the Seekers so you could get the chance to meet Humans?"

"Yes," replied the young Seeker quietly. "I heard so many stories about the Humans fighting back during the initial colonization. All the accounts sounded so…exciting. I wanted the chance to learn more about wild Humans." Night Ember Lights looked lightly embarrassed, "I'd hope to have the chance to capture a Human myself."

"Well I'm glad hunting my people to near extinction could give you so much entertainment," said Melanie, her voice rising in anger. She squeezed the dressing tight as she finished tying it off which left the Seeker wincing in pain.

In the dim light of his flashlight Night Ember Lights's face grew ashen. "I…I didn't mean it like that," he stammered as Melanie continued to glare at him. An uncomfortable silence grew in the cramp quarters of their hiding space.

"Seeker," began Wanda as she lightly touched Melanie's arm and offered Melanie a gentle smile in attempt to calm her down , "How old are you?"

Night Ember Lights dropped his head and replied in a faint whisper, "I was inserted into this body five years ago. This is my first life."

Wanda's smile grew, "Oh you're still a baby." The young man flushed with embarrassment.

"Wanda, I know how it works with you Souls," snapped Melanie. "Your young are born with memories from their mothers. None of you go through adolescence." She pointed an accusing finger at Night Ember Lights, "He should know better."

"True," replied Wanda. "But our mothers' memories are only that, just memories. Life experiences are much more import for personal growth." She smiled ruefully at both Melanie and her fellow Soul, "While we may not have a childhood like Humans, we do develop maturity as we go through our lives."

"I read much of your file Wanderer," said Night Ember Lights with no small amount of awe in his voice. "You've lived on so many worlds...so many experiences." He hesitated and then asked what had been clearly bothering him for a while, "But why have you chosen to side with the Humans against us?"

"I'm not choosing Humans over Souls," replied Wanda solemnly. "But I've come to believe the Humans have a right to exist just as much as we do. I want to find a way for both races to peacefully exist."

"You believe such peace is possible? Even after today, after all the deaths inflicted by wild Humans?" challenged the Seeker.

Wanda paused with a sad sigh but then smiled at her human friend and sister. "And yet a Human helped you escape from the killers. She hides us and now bandages your wound."

A sudden crack from outside the door of the supply closet stopped further discussion. Wanda's jaw snapped shut before she could utter another word. The Seeker grabbed his flashlight and clicked it off; utter blackness filled the tiny space. Human and Souls froze in the darkness, they barely dared to breathe. Someone was working on the locked door to the kitchen.

Another crack came followed swiftly by a hard bang from the outside kitchen door. In their hiding spot Melanie could feel both Wanda and Night Ember Lights cringe as far as they could into the back of the supply closet. Melanie stayed as still as she could even though her heart was pounding so hard in her chest she was sure everyone on the entire building could hear. She had hoped hiding in the supply closet in the kitchen of the cafeteria would be a good enough hiding spot from the armed gunmen. Unfortunately she was wrong.

Heavy footsteps could be heard in the kitchen. There was a loud crash as pots and pans clattered to the ground as the intruder shoved his way further into the room. A long silence followed and then they heard a low, angry voice. "Come out worms. I'll make it quick if you come out now. Make me work to find you and I'll make your deaths long and painful."

Melanie could feel Wanda trembling next to her. Old panicked memories of when Kyle had hunted them in the bathing room threatened to pull her down into sheer terror. Like before she felt a heavy weight of helplessness as she was being hunted. Melanie had never liked feeling helpless and now her anger at being hunted by her own kind forced back her fears. And unlike the time in the dark bathing room she was in control of her body. She reached for Night Ember Lights's flashlight. It wouldn't be much of a weapon, but she was not going down quietly or easily.

The footsteps drew closer to the supply room's door. Melanie readied herself to jump up and swing, but unexpectedly a new voice rang out in the kitchen. It was a loud angry shout, "Hey asshole!"

What followed next happened so rapidly Melanie would later find it hard recall, only a fierce rush of adrenaline, moments of incredible fear, and frantic action. Gun shots erupted right outside their hiding spot, a cacophony of exchanged weapons fire between two or more people in the kitchen. The firing reached a fever pitch and then the sound of something heavy and metal slamming into a body.

A loud "OOOF" came from right outside the door, then a hard smack of a thrown punch, followed by a grunt of pain. Melanie risked opening the door a crack and peaked through into the room beyond. Shadows filled the kitchen. Melanie could see nothing, but heard the sounds of a struggle. Something or someone smashed into a wall and then the hard clanking of more pots and pans being overturned. In the dark distance a small light flared into existence and then was quickly joined by a second. The faint light was just strong enough to outline two figures battling in the middle of the kitchen.

A cry of pain from one of the fighters and a large shape staggered back from the first fighter. The scant light reflected dully on the apparent victor's night vision goggles. The black clad gunman. From somewhere Melanie heard voices but couldn't make out the words. She was completely focused on the assassin, her hands tightened on her flashlight. With a rush she flung open the door and charged the killer. She swung the flashlight down, aiming for the back of his head…when the man pivoted and effortlessly caught the flashlight with one hand.

Melanie heard Wanda's warning cry but it was too late. The gunman swung up his free hand and it held a knife. Large, serrated, and bloody it aimed right for Melanie's chest. But then a roar of rage came from the darkness and massive fist smashed into the masked face of the gunman.

"You think your little blade can stop me!" screamed Odell Watson at the top of his lungs. Before the black uniformed solider could respond Dell charged into the smaller man and hurled him into the nearby wall. He didn't give the gunman even a second to recover, he was on him with a flurry of punches and kicks, all the while a stream of obscenities and curses erupted from the massive man. Melanie was dimly aware there were other people running into the room. They were all dressed in black clothing with hooded faces and all of them were watching Dell pummel the gunman relentlessly.

A familiar voice spoke up near Melanie, "Dell, stop, we need him alive. He can tell us…"

"Ian!?" gasped out Melanie.

A dark hood turned towards Melanie with a start. More flashlights came on and focused on the tall brunet. The hood turned toward Melanie and pulled back to reveal the stunned face of Ian O' Shea. "Mel," he began but then a sob came from darkness stopped him. "Ian?"

"Wanda!" said Ian and turned towards the voice. Pale and trembling Wanda stood in the open doorway, her eyes wide with shock. In a heartbeat Ian was pulling the small blond-haired soul into his arms. Tears running down her face Wanda moaned out, "Ian…Ian…Ian". The dark-haired man held her tightly as he whispered soft reassurances and kissed away her tears.

With a loud grunt Dell yanked up the battered gunman and then drove his fist into the man's midsection. The punch brought the man right off the ground and knocked him flat on the ground. Dell stood victorious over the fallen solider. It was then Melanie noticed Dell's right arm was bleeding. A wide cut on his upper forearm was covering his own dark clothing. Certain the gunman was no longer a threat Dell winced in pain from his wound.

"You are alright?" asked Melanie as she went to the big man who had saved her life.

Dell grinned down at her through his pain, "Bah, I'm fine. Not the first knife fight I've been in." He gestured to the unmoving figure on the floor, "Get something to tie this bastard up. He's got some talking to do."

Another one of Dell's and Ian's companions moved over to look for some rope. His search brought him to the supply closet. He jerked back in alarm as soon as he saw the closet's remaining occupant. "Seeker!" he cried out.

"No, No, it's okay," said Melanie as she put herself in front of the injured Seeker. She turned to see Night Ember Light. The young Soul body's eyes were wide as possible, filled with a mix of fear and amazement.

"He's been shot and he's not going to hurt anyone," added Melanie as she gave the Seeker a pointed look. Letting him know he'd better be cooperative.

Night Ember Light eyes drifted between Melanie, Dell, and then Ian and Wanda. He openly gapped at the Human and Soul couple. The latter two were still kissing, nearly oblivious to their surroundings. Melanie grumbled, "Seriously you two. Knock it off."

Wanda finally pulled away from Ian; her face flushed a deep red. She took in the Dell and the other Chicago rebels. She turned back to Ian, still stunned at their rescuers sudden appearance. "How?" she began but then stopped as the dark clad gunman made a low moan on the floor.

Weapons of every type were quickly pulled out and brought to bear on the prisoner. A short length rope was swiftly found in the supply closet and the man was quickly bound. The man made no effort to resist. Dell bent over their new captive and studied the mask and night vision goggles. Both were broken and smashed from Dell's through beat down.

Pulling the mask and night vision equipment off the man revealed a young man's unconscious face. His brown hair cut short and his narrow nose was now crooked, broken from Dell's handy work. There was nothing particularly striking about the man, nothing which made him stand out. Without the black combat fatigues and body armor Melanie would be hard pressed to find him in a crowd.

Dell leaned down and examined the man's uniform. He noticed a small label on the right hand side of the armored vest, the dark grey lettering spelling out a name – Kendrick. "Hey," barked Dell, "your name Kendrick? Wake up!"

At Dell's prompting the man made another low groan. His eyes flickered open and then focused slowly on his captors. Everyone in the small kitchen inhaled at once, stunned disbelief on everyone's faces. Wanda was the first speak, her voice growing higher as she repeated the same word over and over, "No, No, No". Their combined flashlights brightly reflected, better than any fake contacts, off the man's silver ringed eyes.

The eyes of a Soul.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Working hard to get the next chapter out soon. Review if you get a chance.
> 
> -Walker.


	20. Intervention

"What a mess," said Jason as he and Eric surveyed the ruined security control room. It hadn't taken the two men long to find the control room. Jason realized the Souls would have little need to hide the room. After finding a readable map in the ruined front lobby they quickly tracked down the security center.

What they found was the burnt out ruins of a room and the first dead bodies. Even now Jason was working hard to not look at the horrifying remains. He'd seen enough bodies today to last him a life time. Like the lobby some type of bomb had gone off in the control center. It reduced the equipment to scrap and killed whoever was in the room.

"Is there anything you can do with this," asked Jason to Eric as he gestured at what had once been a computer monitor.

"Are you kidding?" replied Eric as he pulled up the remains of a computer from the ground. "This room is fragged, time to find the mainframe and see what we can do with it."

Jason frowned, "Isn't the mainframe here?"

"Nah, this was just the control room," said Eric as he gestured to the wall where a single mass of cables disappeared into the wall. "This room ran the console, but all the control systems are somewhere else. Need to see if that system is still ticking."

"How do we find it?" questioned Jason.

Eric smiled as he pulled out his flashlight and direct the beam of light into the tangled remains of the wires. "When in doubt, follow the cable."

* * *

####

* * *

"I am not comfortable with this plan," said Seeker Seen through Clear Ice as the four Seekers carefully navigated the dark hallway. "We should be trying to bring reinforcements into the building, not adventuring into the upper floors of the building."

"Seeker Seen," insisted Seeker Simple Sunlight, "we can bring in more support as soon as we help the injured on this floor. Many have been gravely wounded by the Humans' sabotage. If we spend time getting help they will surely parish."

"This could be a trap," replied Seen, unconvinced. Simple Sunlight looked sharply at the Seeker, her face taking on a concerned frown. "I've seen Humans do this before," replied the Seeker gravely. "They will wound one of us and then wait to ambush the rescuers."

"I saw no ambush," replied Simple Sunlight stiffly, "only our injured brethren."

"We will take extreme caution," said Seeker Bright Moon on Fallen Snow. She slowed at an intersection of hallways. She carefully studied the new hallway, checking ever point for possible traps. Seen through Clear Ice checked the other hallway just as carefully. When both satisfied were satisfied they motioned Seekers Andrew and Simple Sunlight to follow.

"We know there are at least two armed intruders," said Seeker Andrew. "Can we be sure there aren't more?"

"I've seen no signs of armed insurgents, only bombs going off," snapped Simple Sunlight tersely.

"Simple Sunlight," said Bright Moon gently, "I know you are greatly distressed by the wounded, but we must be careful. I assure you these gunmen are very real and very dangerous."

A pained expression rose on Simple Sunlight's face. She stopped abruptly in the hallway. The auburn haired woman's eyes closed tight and she appeared to mutter something under her breath. The other three Seekers watched her with growing concern.

"Are you alright Simple Sunlight?" asked a distress Bright Moon. Her fellow Seeker opened her eyes and gazed steadily at Bright Moon. With a small smile she replied to Bright Moon, "I'm fine, just a bit of a headache."

Bright Moon shook her head slowly and addressed her fellow Seekers. "Perhaps you are correct Seen. We've been pushing ourselves too hard, spreading ourselves too thin. We can help no one if we're exhausted and not thinking clearly."

Before anyone could answer there was a growing sound from the end of the hallway, a soft rustling and then quiet voices. All the Seekers froze for one quick second and then rapidly retreated to the previous intersection. They watched carefully down the hallway as three darkly dressed figures slowly moved into view. Each one carried a small light, just enough to light up the immediate area. Their identity impossible to see as each face was nearly hidden by black hoods.

After studying the hallway for a moment the three figures picked up their pace as they walked down the hallway. Now the Seekers could make out distinct voices from the mysterious group as they approached the hidden Seekers.

"…they could be anywhere in the building," said one.

"It's possible they weren't brought here at all," replied another.

"I say one more floor and then we're going to have to pull out. We're going to get hammered if we stay longer," said the last one.

Bright Moon found herself frowning. The last voice was familiar to her, all too familiar. "Marc Walters," she breathed out in a near whisper.

"He's here?" replied Simple Sunlight in disbelief and a bit too loudly for the three men suddenly stopped in their tracks. Their bodies stiff with tensions as they studied their surroundings for the source of the noise. Bright Moon watched as Simple Sunlight pulled her pistol from her holster. Before she could take aim with the weapon Bright Moon stopped her by placing her hand on the weapon. Her friend looked at her utter confusion.

"What are you doing?" asked Simple Sunlight in an angry whisper. She pointed to the three Humans in the hallway. "There is Marc Walters, orchestrator of the attacks on the ship and obviously behind the bombing of this building. He needs to be ended. Now."

But Bright Moon still hesitated. She remembered Wanderer's claim that Marc and his people were innocent of the bombing. That Humans and Souls needed to stop and talk with each other and a peace could still be achieved. But how could she talk with these creatures that killed without a thought? How did one make peace with a people who wanted nothing more than to kill all of her kind?

Bright Moon on Fallen Snow froze, uncertain what to do, but Simple Sunlight had no such conflict. She pulled her weapon from Bright Moon's grip and again took aim. But then all three men switched off their lights. Once again darkness filled the hallway and the three forms disappeared.

From one of the darkened offices in the hallway a voice called out, "Alright, who's there?"

Now Bright Moon was certain the voice belonged to Marc Walters. Before she realized she had done so she replied, "It's me Marc."

In the shadowy darkness Marc's response was filled with suspicion, "Bright Moon? What are doing here?"

"I would ask you the same thing," she answered.

"Well, see, it's like this. I'm having a spectacularly bad day and I figured I would do the dumbest of all possible things and try to rescue some of my friends from you Seekers," responded Marc sarcastically.

"What is he talking about?" questioned Seeker Andrew.

"Could it be that simple," whispered Bright Moon to herself as she wondered if Marc could be here only to rescue Melanie and Wanderer. The other Seekers looked at her blankly, not understanding her own rhetorical question.

"This is all a trick," said Simple Sunlight irritably. She turned to Seeker Seen through Clear Ice and said imploringly, "Seeker, we need to eliminate this threat now."

The Seeker's brow furrowed as he considered the situation. "I agree this seems like an attempt to maneuver us into a trap. But we can't be sure of their deception. A direct assault may be exactly what they want." Seeker Andrew nodded in agreement.

"Bright Moon," called out Marc. He spoke softly and without his earlier dark humor. "Please, we need to talk."

"More tricks," said Simple Sunlight as Bright Moon remained silent and still. "We have numerical superiority, we can win," she implored the other two Seekers.

There was a brief exchanged of low angry whispers from the three hidden humans and then a low tired sigh. "All right, all right," grumbled Marc Walters, "Bright Moon, I'm surrendering myself to the Seekers." To the four Seekers' surprise a flashlight lit the center of the hallway. It's light illuminating the tall figure of Marc Walters. His dark hood pulled back while he stood with his hand raised above head and a very resigned expression on his face.

Once again Simple Sunlight raised her weapon, taking aim at the Human. But Bright Moon put her hand on Simple Sunlight's hand and deliberately pushed the weapon away. She was surprised by how forcefully her friend was willing to resort to violence. "No," said Bright Moon firmly, "I will deal with this."

"But," began Simple Sunlight with a frown and then stopped before saying more. Another spasm of pain lanced over the red-haired Seeker's face.

Concern for her fellow Soul filled Bright Moon on Fallen Snow. "Please be at peace Simple Sunlight, I don't want to see you in such pain."

Simple Sunlight breathed out slowly and said tightly, "Fine, handle this as you see fit Seeker."

Bright Moon turned to the two male Seekers who stood watching the situation with deep uneasy. Seeker Andrew appeared particularly worried. She tried her best to reassure them with an air of confidence she didn't really feel. "I will handle taking Marc into custody. Please, just cover me and take no further action unless I request it."

"Please be very careful," stressed Seeker Seen through Clear Ice while Seeker Andrew glanced nervously at Marc Walters. Oddly Simple Sunlight was smiling faintly at Bright Moon as she moved out into the open. She slowly approached the pool of light in the middle of the hallway.

Marc's trademark grin was on his face as she stepped up to him. "I've had a really lousy day," he said, "how's yours been?"

Bright Moon tried her best to keep her tone calm and even, but an edge of anger came out in her words. "I've nearly been killed twice today by your people."

Instantly Marc's lopsided grin towards her disappeared. In a quiet and dangerous voice he said, "They are _not_ my people. My people don't kill children, Human or Soul."

Bright Moon remembered Wanderer's claim that one of Marc's people, a boy named Tim, had been killed. Apparently done in a way to make the Humans believe the Seekers were responsible. She was certain the Seekers weren't responsible for this death. Was all today's destruction suffered by her people and Marc's devised by a third-party?

A nervous voice filtered in from a nearby darkened office interrupting her private deliberations. "Does Marc know this Seeker?" The voice was unfamiliar to her but a much more recognizable voice responded in a resigned tone, "Oh don't get me started on those two." It was Scott Alderman.

Felling momentarily bewildered by Scott's comment, Bright Moon wondered what the Human meant by his comment. She placed her hand on her pistol and said firmly, "Come out, both of you. Put your hands where I can see them."

"They're shy," informed Marc curtly. "Bright Moon don't worry about them. Like I said," he pleaded, "we need to talk."

She turned back to Marc and watched him silently, still trying to decide if she could truly trust him. His almost constant easy-going nature replaced with a hard edge of anger. His entire body appeared to barely holding in a simmering rage. But it wasn't directed at her. His human brown eyes, like this morning, were only sad as we gazed steadily back at her. A very small smile formed on Bright Moon's lips. She chose to do the impossible, she decided to trust Marc.

"You came to rescue Melanie and Wanderer, didn't you?" said Bright Moon. Bizarrely she felt happiness for a moment as a look of shock formed on Marc's face.

"Y…You talked to them?" stammered Marc. "Are they all right?"

"They were when I left them," answered Bright Moon. With a sigh of concern she added, "But that was some ago."

Seeker Seen through Clear Ice's voice interrupted, "Seeker Bright Moon, is there a problem? Do you need assistance?"

Bright Moon turned back to see her fellow Seekers had moved into the hallway. Seekers Andrew and Seen through Clear Ice pointed their high-powered flashlights at Marc, while Simple Sunlight stood nearby with her arms crossed. Marc lowered his arm to shield his eyes from the light. "Do you mind? Your lights are giving me a headache. And I don't need another headache on top of my current headaches."

"It is all right," answered Bright Moon mildly. "Marc and his companions aren't a threat."

Seen through Clear Ice's face registered near complete shock. In a rather uneven voice he asked, "Are you certain?"

Before Bright Moon could respond Simple Sunlight threw her hands up and let out a low growl of frustrated exasperation. "This," she snapped angrily, "has gotten so damn irritating!"

Both Souls and Humans all stopped and stared at the red-haired Seeker. Her voice was so unlike its normal light and calm manner. Their pause was all the time Simple Sunlight needed. Her right arm struck out in a smooth arc, something small and sharp clutched in her hand. It gave only a fleeting glint of light before she shoved the knife into Seeker Seen through Clear Ice's throat. His eyes wide as possible as the knife-edge sliced into his carotid artery.

With expert grace Simple Sunlight swung back, the knife cutting through the Seeker's neck muscles. The blade pulled free and the body began to fold in on itself. Seeker Andrew managed a yelp in surprise and then Simple Sunlight brought up her left hand. The gun she held in it fired once and a circular little hole formed on his forehead where the bullet entered. There was very little blood from Andrew's body compared to the gush of red from Seen through Clear Ice's body. But both hit the ground at almost the same time. Both just as dead.

It all happened so fast that Bright Moon was still starting to ask her friend what was troubling her so much to cause her outburst. The words just remained stuck in her throat as the two Seekers died at Simple Sunlight's feet. Her mind not able to reconcile what her host body's eyes were telling her.

A disturbing grin on her face, Simple Sunlight pivoted towards Bright Moon. Her former friend took aim with the gun, right at Bright Moon's head. Every muscle in her body froze, Bright Moon couldn't have moved even if the entire building suddenly collapsed. Simple Sunlight's finger tightened on the trigger.

Something hard and strong seized Bright Moon and flung her to the side. For a dizzying moment she thought she had been shot, but realized it was Marc. He had grabbed her body and then jumped to the left. They hit the ground hard at the same time as a gunshot echoed in the hallway.

Marc was already scrambling to his feet. His leap had carried them both near the open door of an office. There was blast and the smooth wall of the hallway near Marc's head ripped open from the bullet. He dove into the doorway while Bright Moon remained on the hallway floor unmoving. Another gunshot rang, but this time from right next to her. Marc had pulled a gun of his own and had returned fire.

The auburn-haired woman promptly jumped for her own cover. She leapt into another unoccupied office across the way from Marc's own. In the dim light from the two flashlights dropped by the dead Seekers Bright Moon could see a tuff of red hair move behind the office's wall, putting Simple Sunlight out of range from Marc's weapon.

Marc turned towards Bright Moon, his eyes wide with his own shock of what he had just seen. He reached out a hand. "Get in here," he yelled. Bright Moon took Marc's hand and with a mighty pull he dragged her into the office and into safety. For their attacker fired from her own office and a bullet tore into the carpeting right where she had been seconds before.

Now there was a confusing rush of voices in the office where Marc and Bright Moon hid. She realized they had jumped into the same office where Marc's two companions had hidden. Scott, his eyes wide with fear, had pulled out his own gun out. Another older man with cragged face crouched down near her, his eyes darting between Bright Moon and the other office.

"What the hell is going on!?" demanded Scott.

"Who is that woman?" questioned the older one. He seemed to be speaking to her but was looking at Marc. "Is she also a Seeker ?"

Marc's eyes were on her and then back to the other two humans. "Are you alright?" he asked but didn't wait for her to respond. "Anyone hit?" he asked his companions.

All the human's questions buzzed in Bright Moon's mind but the only solid thought she could focus on was Simple Sunlight killing her two fellow Seekers. She called back out into the barely lit hallway. "Simple Sunlight what are you doing?" Her voice filled with pain and sorrow.

Silence filled the hallway and the office. Marc and his companions going silent as they to hoped for some sort of answer. The silence stretched on for long seconds and then a low angry reply came back from the darkness. "Do you know how much I hate that name? Every day being called by that worm's idiotic name." Then three more gunshots cracked out of the darkened office, each bullet slamming near the door frame of their hiding space.

The silence returned and Bright Moon sat in the small office a growing horror spreading in her body. "The host," she began but then stopped as the men looked at her. "The human is in control, not us, not the Soul." She said the last part barely above a whisper.

"Well why the hell is she trying to kill us?" said the unfamiliar man.

"Nate," replied Marc his expression going cold, "I got a feeling 'Simple Sunlight' is working for the same bastards who killed Tim and cut up Mia."

"Humans undercover as Seekers?" replied Nate. He paused to consider the implications. "Damn clever, but how did they pull that off?"

Marc risked a glance into the hallway and said, "We can ask questions later. Right now we need to get the hell out of here." He lowered himself down and closer to her body. She could feel the warmth of his body next to hers. Marc barely managed to keep his voice calm and reassuring. "Look, Bright Moon, there are four of us and one of her. We're all armed. We can throw up covering fire and get down the stairs." He paused and asked, "You with us?"

An alliance with Marc, once again the man proposed what should be unthinkable. Yet it made perfect sense to Bright Moon. "Yes," she said in a whisper.

The four of them formed into two groups, Scott and Nate and then Marc and Bright Moon. She pulled her gun from her holster and held it ready. She couldn't help but feel sickened by idea of firing at another Soul. The Soul Simple Sunlight held hostage by her own body. Something which couldn't be possible, yet it was.

"Now," commanded Marc and they both pivoted into the doorway. They each fired five times towards of the office where the former Seeker hid herself. They pulled back and Nate and Scott rushed out the door and ran into the gloom of the hallway. Marc counted out to five and a volley of shots came from Scott's and Nate's weapons, again directed at the office.

Marc took her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze, he understood how hard this was for her to do, but she had little choice. He let go of her hand and ran into the corridor. She followed a split second behind him. Running as hard as could she rushed into the darkness. She expected to hear returned fire from the woman who had been Simple Sunlight, but there was nothing.

The three men were only dark shape ahead of her as they ran. Some idle part of Bright Moon mind wished she had Marc's ability to run in complete darkness. If she survived this day she would have to ask him how he did it. She realized she was trying to distract herself from the horrors of what she had just experienced. It wasn't rational, she should be focused on her surroundings, but she desperately needed the distraction.

The hallway up ahead turned to the right and she could barely make out the three forms turning the corner. They were close to the stairs and Bright Moon pushed herself to catch up to the fleeing humans. She turned at the junction and a large dark shape loomed up in front of her. "Marc," she began but dark shape moved closer and she could see the bulky body armor. Not Marc Walters.

Bright Moon tried to stop herself, but there was no time. A hard fist slammed into her stomach. Pain welled through her body from the blow. She tried to flee, but the masked gunman gave her no chance to escape. He brought the butt of his large rifle down on the back of her skull. A thousands stars exploded in her head and she fell to her knees. Her head spinning violently she only faintly felt the barrel of the gun against her temple.

"It's about damn time you got here," said an all too familiar woman's voice coming from the darkness.

"We've got problems," said the gruff voice of the armed man from above her.

"Yeah, no kidding," came the reply of the woman. "Why does Adams want to talk to Walters?" The woman's voice filled with incredulity.

Bright Moon tried to shrink away from the voices. These monsters were going to kill her and every other Soul they could find. They would never stop. They would even kill their own kind. The barrel of the gun pressed harder against her throbbing head.

"No, No," said the woman's voice. "I can use her."

Suddenly a flashlight clicked on and the face of 'Simple Sunlight' was before her. "Hi Bright Moon on Fallen Snow," said the woman with fake cheer.

Bright Moon tried to pull away but 'Simple Sunlight' grabbed a fistful of her hair and yanked her up to her feet. She wobbled and the other woman had to grab her by the arm to keep her from toppling over.

"Marc," screamed the woman into the black hallways. "Marc Walters! It's Simple Sunlight!" said the woman in a mocking sing-song voice.

"Leave him alone," said Bright Moon in a broken voice.

"I wish I could," replied Simple Sunlight's body. "But I've got orders."

Bright Moon felt the woman's body shift and felt the end of a pistol against her head. A part of her wished they would just finish their gruesome deed. Stop this horrific mockery as these humans gleefully abused her.

Again Simple Sunlight's body called out, "Marc, I have Bright Moon on Fallen Snow. You will surrender to me or I will blow her brains out."

Only a still silence returned the dark hallway. "Please stop," moaned Bright Moon. The woman who Bright Moon had thought of as a friend didn't respond. She called out again, "I'm going to count to five and shoot. So Marc, if you care even a little for this worm you will get over here now."

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

"Stop," said a voice from the blackness outside the light of the flashlight. Slowly Marc Walters walked into the light. He looked her over his eyes locking on hers, his face full of anguish. His soft brown eyes, his human eyes, filled with pain but also relief that she was still alive. All of it for her, the alien, the Seeker, an impossibility and yet it was true.

"Just stop," he repeated. "Don't hurt her. I surrender."

* * *

####

* * *

"Oh baby, very nice," said Eric as his flashlight highlighted three tall towers sitting in the center of the room. From inside the grilled towers a twinkle of lights continuously flicked on and off in seemingly random pattern.

After a short search Eric and Jason tracked the cables from the ruined control room to a locked door. The first locked door they had found a sign of something important inside. The door had not budged when they had tried to break it down. Jason had found a nearby box labeled 'Break in Case of Emergency'. It contained a fire extinguisher and more importantly a small fire axe. The axe had quickly allowed the men access to the room.

Jason shook his head as he watched the older man walk slowly around the computer equipment. "Do you need a few minutes to yourself?" he jokingly asked.

"Very funny," replied Eric as he examined one of the computers stored in the rack. He whistled softly, "Damn these boxes control more than just security. It's likely an entire environmental control system in here."

"Ugh more geek talk," groaned Jason.

Eric spoke as if he was talking to a child. "Environmental control systems manage more than just cameras and door access. Controls stuff like temperature, lights, fire alarms, who knows what else."

"Well why does it still have power?" asked Jason.

Eric bent down and examined some of the wiring at the base of the three towers. "Battery backups, looks like enough power to keep this running for at least a couple of hours." Straightening up he began pulling some equipment from his bag.

While he worked Eric muttered under his breath. Jason watched for a few minutes, slowly growing impatient. Finally he asked, "What are you doing?"

Eric blinked at him slowly and then sighed, "I'm trying to rig a connection to the server's serial port. Then I'm going to have to work on breaking whatever password system the Souls have running on this box."

"Why don't we just turn it off?" interrupted Jason.

"Marc said to take control of the system. That's what I'm trying to do," replied an annoyed Eric.

"We don't have time," said Jason with a grunt. "You spend all this time doing geek stuff and were going to get caught by the Seekers."

"Look," said Eric tersely, "it's not that simple. I don't know what turning off the system would do." He gestured to some of the wiring in the towers and added, "Besides the battery backups have locks on the controls. I can't just shut off…"

Eric stopped short as Jason pickup his handy little fire axe. Jason examined the batteries. Each tower had a bulky black battery unit at its base. Two thick power cables came out of each unit. The fire axe made quick work of the cables. Each one let out a sharp crack and a bright spark as Jason cut the lines. But the axe had a wooden handle which acted as a nice insulator. Soon all the cords were cut and the three towers were silent and dark.

"Great, just great," complained Eric. But he stopped as a previously dark emergency light in the room flickered on. Soon another one in the hallway beyond the room clicked on. In the distance the sound of a fire alarm began to clamor.

"See," said Jason smugly, "I haxored it."

"That's not even a word," snapped an irritated Eric.

* * *

####

* * *

In the light of the portable flood light Agent Williams watched the chest of Agent Anderson slowly rise and fall. His young face peaceful as he slept. He'd given the man a large dose of NO PAIN and SLEEP while he attended to his wounds.

Williams wished he knew Anderson's first name, something to call the young man other than Agent. Some part of Williams wanted to call Anderson by his first name and yell at the young man's foolishness. Anderson had gotten ahead of Agent Kendrick, running after a group of Seekers. He'd cornered them and even if the Souls weren't ones to resort to violence they would defend themselves.

Anderson's body armor took a lot of the damage, but the several rounds had made it through the armor. Williams had done his best with removing the bullets and closing up the ragged holes with the Soul's medicine. But Williams was concerned about internal bleeding, Anderson might still not survive.

Williams watched the young man, not even a man really, just a boy. "More dead kids," said Williams out loud. He felt sick. The pain right behind his eyes flared again. He closed his eyes and rubbed his temples hopping to lessen the pain but no relief came.

Opening his eyes Williams saw a new light out in the hallway. One of the emergency lights had clicked on. He walked out into the empty hallway, stepping over a body of a dead Seeker. Several of the emergency lights were on in the hallway. Raising the dark gloom to a pale washed out yellow.

"That's not supposed to happen," said Williams.

* * *

####

* * *

The crowd gasped as one and Lacey turned from Seeker Quartz Sharp Webs to see the source of commotion. Lights were beginning to come on in the Administrative Building. The lights weren't the full bright ones, like fluorescent office lights of the surrounding towers, but it was a large improvement over the earlier dark and ominous building.

"What has happened?" asked Seeker Quartz Sharp Webs.

Lacey hesitated before answering. She needed to sound like the lights coming on was meant to happen. She had largely been able to take control of the crowd by being a calm voice of authority. Souls might be a very group orientated race, coming to a consensus before taking an action, but when faced with a crisis and a lack of information it wasn't hard to get them to listen to one voice which offered guidance. Luckily Quartz Sharp Webs wasn't a Seeker who knew her so she had maintained this crazy sham for now.

"Apparently the Seekers inside have managed to regain some control of the building," responded Lacey coolly. Behind her Burns nodded firmly reinforcing her announcement to the assembled Souls.

"Please make way," said a new voice in the crowd. Lacey turned to see a new Seeker moving through the crowd. Her body was of an older woman with a touch of grey in her short sandy blond hair. She appeared to have spent much time out in the sun, giving her skin a tough old leather appearance.

"Uh, oh," whispered Lacey to Burns.

"Do you know this Seeker?" asked Burns in a hoarse murmur as the new Seeker approached the two fake Seekers.

"Yeah, pretty sure I do," replied Lacey with a rising panic in her voice. "We need to get out of here."

Burns turned around slowly, looking for a way to retreat. The crowd of surrounded Lacey and Burns, there was nowhere to run. With a gulp and trickle of sweat running down her face Lacey addressed the new Seeker. "Hello Seeker Gentle Waves, it's been a long time."

Surprise danced on Seeker Gentle Waves's rough face as she recognized Lacey. After collecting herself Gentle Waves said with obvious confusion, "I thought you were dead?"

* * *

####

* * *

"Sorry. It was nothing personal."

The assembled group of Dell, Ian, Melanie, Wanda, and a half-dozen of other Chicago rebels, plus one frightened Seeker stared down at Agent Kendrick. The agent had just given the same explanation for why his team had murdered Tim, blew up a spaceship full of Souls, killed dozens in the Administrative Building, and then to admitting to belonging to the group responsible for releasing the plague a month earlier. Always the same answer – "Sorry. It was nothing personal."

"You've killed how many people and all you can say is 'It was nothing personal'?" growled Ian as he glared down at Kendrick.

Kendrick focused on Ian. He looked the tall dark-haired man up and down. Then he noticed Ian's arm around Wanda. Kendrick let out a low sound of disgust, a gagging noise of revulsion. "You banging that worm? Damn that's gross."

Ian's nostrils flared and his blue eyes burned liked cobalt fire. His hands flexed into fists, but Wanda and the Dell placed hands on the young man in attempt to hold him back and defuse his anger.

"He's just trying to get under your skin," said Dell with a mild smile on his lips.

"Ian, please, don't do anything rash," said Wanda, barely above a whisper. She was very pale as she watched the human with the eyes of a Soul. She spoke quietly, trying hard to keep her voice even as she spoke, "Please, we can remove the Soul from you. We can do this safely. You don't need to fight to stay into control of your body."

Kendrick looked back at her with his own silver ringed eyes. Eyes that should be kind and peaceful but were instead filled with hate. He began to laugh and it was a wild and disturbing laugh. "Wow," he said as he brought his laughter down to a chuckle, "You really have no idea. We weren't sure how much you figured out, but I guess you guys are still in the dark."

"What do mean?" asked Wanda even though a part of her didn't want to know.

"Can't pull mine out," responded Kendrick. "Well not without killing me and it. You see the Docs I work with couldn't figure how to pull you out, so they did the next best thing. Figured out how to rewire you little silver bastards in our brains and shut you down. Basically lobotomized the worm."

"No," cried Wanda with rising horror, "Why would you do this?"

"Are you trying to have some moral high ground here?" said Kendrick as he fixed her with a hard glare. "You," he pointed at Wanda, "the body you wear. If you're pulled out, what would she be? She looks pretty young, safe bet she's been a host for most of her life."

Wanda didn't say anything but Kendrick could see the truth in her eyes. "She'd be a damn vegetable. She'd be nothing more than a lobotomized host too."

Kendrick glanced around between Wanda and the other Humans in the room. "Don't get on your high horse about all the good you parasites say you do." He tapped the side of his head, "I've got some of mine's memories. I know you've been to a lot of other worlds, taken so many lives of so many races." He stopped as he locked eyes with Wanda and said in a voice full of ice, "And it was always the same thing when you came to a new world to take it over – It was nothing personal."


	21. Fury

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a big one! But I felt there wasn't any easy way to break it down. A lot goes down this chapter so get ready...

Through the glass window Kane Adams watched the street below. Pulsating red and blue of emergency lights on the vehicles lit up the surrounding area. They filled the street, every type available packed tight. From this floor all the chaotic mess became a blur of lights and sound, too many to make out any true detail.

A flare of light from came from his right and Adams winced away. Another helicopter had joined the two already slowly circling the building. Their spot lights roving over the building, searching for any signs of survivors. Their bright light bothered his eyes. In fact any bright light source caused his new eyes to hurt.

Adams turned from the window. His new solid black eyes…after the surgery and the concoction of drugs his eyes had been a side effect. At first it bothered him a great deal, when he looked into a mirror he would recoil, partly in fear and partly in anger. He was something…unnatural. He was something…new.

However Adams grew used to his new eyes and began to like how he could cause fear simply by looking at someone. His black eyes would make almost anyone shudder and turn away. And he was a man used to instilling fear in others. Force through intimidation or strength into getting what he wanted were old familiar friends.

This was a truth Adams understood better than most people. A person did what they wanted, took what they wanted, until some force stopped them. It could be as simple as not taking your neighbors food because he had a gun. Or it could be as complex as one nation not invading another because the other nation had a larger army. Like air into a balloon, power filled a vacuum until it met resistance.

Turning back to the Quorum, Adams considered the parasites in the room. The Souls were excellent examples of his philosophy. For all of their moralizing about making the world better, the truth was they took the lives of other species because they could. They took whole worlds because no one stopped them. Any other explanation or justifications they provided were a delusion. They had not encountered a force which could stop them, so they did what they wanted. Until now…Adams was the force which stopped them. Their great strength, making the body and mind of an enemy their own, lay broken at Adams feet.

"What more do you want from us?" asked Comforter Benjamin interrupting Adams's private musings. Adams shifted his view until he focused on the tall form of Benjamin. The Comforter eyed him uneasily. "You have threatened and derided us, your forces have killed many, but what can you possibly hope to achieve? The Seekers will mass and retake this building, you can't possible prevail against us, even if you are yourself are immune to our joining."

Adams's smile was wide as possible. He leaned in closer and the Comforter automatically retreated, sinking into his chair. "I'm sorry Comforter Benjamin. We've had a few unexpected delays and I'm behind schedule." Marc and his little clan's arrival had been quite unexpected. Their interference had already disrupted Adams's plan. But Adams wasn't alarmed. He still could complete his mission. He felt in his pocket for the detonator, felt the key ready to be turned and arm the bombs. _'Not yet,'_ he told himself.

* * *

####

* * *

Agent Gray pulled the night vision goggles from his eyes as he and Agent Williams made their way down the stairs. Williams followed Gray's example and pulled his set off as well. He likely wouldn't need them anymore. With the added illumination from the emergency lights they weren't doing much good. Before in the darkened building the night vision had let their small team have the upper hand with the far more numerous Seekers.

At this point the Seekers in the building had been nearly wiped out, but now Gray and Williams had a new problem. Marc Walters and his small band of rebels had forced their way into the building, apparently intending to comfort Adams. From what Gray had been able to observer they had nearly all their people committed to the endeavor.

' _And we're two men down,'_ considered Williams as Gray stopped at the door leading to the floor where Agent Kendrick was being held by Marc's people. Upstairs Agent Anderson remained in an unconscious slumber, still too injured to assist.

"Adams may have Marc," said Gray in tight angry voice, "but I want to get one or two of these little snots and make them tell me how they knew we were here."

Inwardly Williams cringed. Of course he knew how Marc's people had found out. The girl Mia had obviously overheard them talking. _'And I let her go,'_ thought Williams. It was a stupid thing to do. He could rationalize that these human hiding in Chicago's sewers should have the good sense to stay away but he understood why they had come. The death of the boy cried out for revenge.

Williams sighed to himself as they moved into the corridor. Adams would find out soon enough Williams's treachery. Then Adams would kill him, this Williams was certain. And yet Williams found an odd sense of relief in this fact. He just didn't care anymore. In an effort to distract himself he said, "What is taking Adams so long? He's had plenty of time to pull the worms from the entire Quorum."

"I don't know," replied Gray. Anger and frustration caused his voice to rise above the man's usual low voice. "We should be working on our exit and getting back to the Facility. Instead this whole mission is going pear-shaped."

There wasn't much more for the two men to say to each other. The Facility was the last outpost of humanity trying to find a way to take back their world. They were a handful of scientists, soldiers, and a few Recovered Humans against the alien horde. The mission was risky. Hell, everything they did now was risky. It was either time to stand or put their faces against the wall. Williams traced the cyanide caped tooth in his mouth with his tongue, he knew what to do if things went really wrong.

"Hold up," whispered Gray as they near an intersection and Williams pulled himself from his private musings and focused on his surroundings. Going silent both men listened and could hear inaudible voices coming from around the corner. Creeping closer to the intersection Williams could hear an argument taking place. Angry voices demanding to know where Marc Walters was held and Agent Kendrick's defiant refusal.

Silently they moved to edge of the corner. With machine like precision they pulled their weapons and prepared to attack the unsuspecting rebels.

* * *

####

* * *

The doors to the meeting room opened suddenly and three people moved in from the dimly lit hallway. The first two, Marc Walters and Seeker Bright Moon on Fallen Snow, had their hands zip tied behind their backs. A dark streak of blood mated in the Seeker's honey blond hair. The third, Agent Rebecca Taylor, held a gun trained on Bright Moon's head. Both Marc and Bright Moon stopped in surprise at seeing the assembled Quorum members sitting terrified while Adams stood over them like a waiting executioner.

Marc was the first to shake off his surprise of seeing the captured Souls and the black-eyed Adams. Glowering he turned back to Agent Taylor and said, "Well you got me up here." He nodded towards Bright Moon and continued, "Let her go."

Taylor sneered at Marc and then shook her head lightly in amusement. "Marc you do like to play the big hero, don't you?" She turned to the Seeker and pressed the gun harder against Bright Moon's head. "Personally I'd shoot you both and be done with you. But Agent Adams wants to talk to you and you'll behave if I've got a gun to your little Seeker girlfriend."

Bright Moon's eyes widened in surprise and her mouth fell open at Taylor's comment. Marc's face remained impassive, but his eyes betrayed him as he watched the blond-haired Seeker. Taylor noticed his worried filled eyes and her sneer turned to a smug smile. "I saw the way you two looked at each other this morning."

"Simple Sunlight," said Bright Moon as the Seeker forced down a rising blush on her face and addressed the Human. "It's Bright Moon on Fallen Snow, if any part of you can hear me, if you have any control, please stop your host from harming anyone else."

Agent Taylor's face twisted from her self-satisfied smirk to one of barely controlled rage in less than a heartbeat. She pressed the gun hard against the Seeker's head and Bright Moon shrank back. "You just don't get it. You never meet 'Simple Sunlight', it was always me!" Taylor watched the renewed shock on Bright Moon's face and continued with her voice filling with cruel mockery. "Poor Bright Moon, always missing what's right under your nose. Couldn't see Calm Waters Below pining away for you, you were too busy looking for your Humans. All the while you had one working at the next desk."

"Enough Agent Taylor," said Adams in a sharp rebuked of the angry red-haired woman. He didn't need Taylor overreacting and shooting the Seeker. The months of undercover work had obviously taken a toll on the Agent. Her barely contained rage at Bright Moon seemed ready to slip into outright violence. The other parasites in the room grew fretful from the Taylor's wrath. For now Adams needed them calm, he had questions which he needed answered. After Adams had what he wanted Taylor would be free to kill as many parasites as she wanted.

Agent Taylor's temper lessened at Adams orders, but an angry glare remained on her face. Adams noticed the other parasites were quite upset at seeing Agent Taylor. While the Quorum members greatly feared him, seeing Taylor with her silver ringed eyes deeply disturbed them. Taylor pushed Bright Moon roughly into an empty chair at the table. The Seeker sunk down slowly in the chair, her eyes never leaving Agent Taylor.

Educator Dry Sands on the Plain studied Bright Moon for a moment, her face twisted with concern for the injured Seeker. The young woman then shifted her gaze to the red-haired woman and asked in trembling voice, "Please Agent Taylor, what happened to the Soul Simple Sunlight?"

"Oh the worm?" replied Taylor with a cold smile. "Bound and gagged in the back of my skull. " She saw the horrified looks grow on the Souls faces. Her icy smile changed to hard glare at their distress and she added, "Karma's a real bitch…it's no worse than what was done to me."

Dry Sands and several other Souls let out a moan of despair at Simple Sunlight's fate. Agent Taylor ignored them and gestured at another empty chair for Marc. The tall man slowly sat down in the chair. His eyes had moved between Adams and Taylor while he'd listened in intense interest to the two humans. Once seated Marc asked Adams, "Who the hell are you people?"

"Isn't oblivious," replied Adams with slight amusement in his voice. "We're the Human Resistance."

Marc's eyebrows rose, "Really? You guys look in a mirror lately?" He dipped is head towards Taylor and said with a smile, "You look like you're a Soul with some serious anger management issues." Marc turned to face Adams. "And you," he began but his smile faded as he stared at Adams midnight eyes, "You look like a damn nightmare."

Adams smile grew cold. Marc had fixed his gaze on him and he didn't look away as Adams's black eyes stared into his eyes. Marc wasn't a man to be easily intimidated reflected Adams as he replied. "I suppose I am a nightmare. But then being a nightmare is exactly what's its going to take to fight the invasion."

Unexpectedly Seeker Skyward Into the Night straightened in his chair and cleared his throat. The small man had watched the three new arrivals sullenly, but now he spoke up. He twisted his head between Adams and Marc. "Nightmares…You speak of humanity becoming nightmares." The Seeker focused on Marc, "Do you Marc Walter look forward to this fate?"

"Oh for once in your life could you not be a complete jackass?!" snapped Marc as he faced the diminutive Seeker. "Don't lump me in with these people. Did I ever attack one of your buildings, shoot up the place, and take hostages?"

The muscles tightened in Skyward's face and with a scowl he said, "I didn't accuse you of being in league with Adams, but it would seem his people are the ones who are trying to guide your future."

For the moment Marc ignored Skyward's question and turned back to Adams, "I assume the Soul spaceship I heard about up was your doing." Adams simply smiled and Marc had all the confirmation he needed. Marc's voice lowered into an angry whisper. "So you're a killer of children for both races."

Adams didn't bother to respond, he only gave Marc a disdainful smile. Marc shifted in his chair, bringing himself around to face Adams directly. It wasn't easy with his hands tied behind his back. "So Uncle Fester, what the hell do you want? Why did you drag me up here?"

Adams leaned back against the window, his large body blotting out the outside light and forcing the room deeper into shadow. "Well not to play to your ego Mr. Walters but we're here because of you."

"Really?" sighed Marc.

"Oh yes. I think your reasonably smart man," said Adams. "You've figured out some of what's going on here."

"Because I was trying to reach a peace agreement with the Souls," answered Marc. "Whoever you guys work for really didn't want that happening."

"Correct," said Adams.

Marc stopped and shifted again in his seat, "You really didn't need to bother, Skyward was doing a great job of sinking that plan on his own. But…" Marc trailed off as glanced between the Souls seated around him and back to Adams. "Why kill Tim…Why set the Seekers up?"

"Penance Mr. Walters. You owed us reparation, you and your merry little band of tunnel dwellers," responded Adams in a voice empty of any emotion.

"The plague," said Marc in a whisper. "Your people made it, right?" At Adams nod of confirmation the Souls around the table gasped in shock and alarm. "And my people cured it, stopped it from spreading."

"Yes," replied Adams as his voice grew terse and angry. He pointed at Marc and then the Souls around the table. "You had the audacity to save these things, to save their stolen lives. You would befriend and make peace with the parasites. " Adams pushed himself from the window and slowly approached Marc as he continued, "And what type of peace would you have? Would you be any better than a second class citizen in your own world? Or more likely end up a pet in some zoo, to be gawked at by the invaders."

Marc shifted in his seat again as Adams stood over him. "When we learned of your little 'nuclear option' we saw the opportunity for you to repay your debt. If you and your people thought the Seekers responsible for the death of one of your own…"

"We'd go to war. Send out how to remove Souls to world or die trying." finished Marc, his voice barely above a whisper.

"You would have redeemed yourself for your race," said Adams cooly. He continued to look down at Marc with his empty black eyes. Marc shuddered and looked away. Marc's gaze returned to Seeker Skyward and the Human said, "I don't believe it, I've finally found a bigger bastard than you." There was no humor or anger in Marc's voice and Skyward looked away.

A long silence followed and Marc finally muttered, "And now that I didn't? Now what?"

"Why are you here?" asked Adams in low growl of a voice.

"Oh," said Marc with amusement rising in his voice. "You want to know why I didn't fall for it. Why I came here instead of running off to grab a radio tower to broadcasts the Souls' greatest hits."

"Yes," barked Adams.

Marc shifted in his seat once again. Leaning back he stared up at the ceiling with a grin. "Nope, not going to tell you."

Adams roughly grabbed Marc by his hair and brought his fist down hard against the back of the man's head. The blow caused Marc's head to slam into the table. Around the table the Souls paled at the brutality. Bright Moon and several other Souls cried together, "Don't hurt him."

Marc shook himself and blinked a little woozly. "Oh wow, Chris Brenner in the fifth grade hit harder than you."

Adams glared down at Marc. He stalked over to Agent Taylor and reached out with a big hand, palm up. She sighed irritably but turned over the gun to her fellow agent. Adams turned and pointed it the gun at Marc's forehead. "Tell me how you knew we'd come here."

"Stop this please," said Healer Long Rivers as he watched Adams's grip tighten on the weapon. "Has there not been enough death already? Enough destruction?" The bearded Healer pointed to Marc, "Marc and his people saved lives and tried to find peace with us. And for that you wish to destroy him?"

The gun in Adams hand didn't waver at all but he pulled back from pulling the trigger. Adams regarded the Healer with a patronizing smile. "Death? Destruction? Trust me Healer you've not seen anything yet. An army will arise like none you've ever seen before."

"They all going to be some black-eyed psychopaths like you?" interrupted Marc as he twisted in his chair to face Adams.

"Exactly!" bellowed Adams. "I'm just the first of many too come. All of us will be immune to you miserable little worms."

The room grew very quiet and still. Then Marc broke the silence, "Then humanity is doomed."

"Oh would you just shoot him!" screamed Rebecca Taylor at Adams as she flew into a frenzy. Her face contorted into a hate filled rage as she pointed at Marc. "Kill all of them! Kill every last one of these disgusting maggots! AGGGHHH!" Her face spasmed as she screamed and her body twisting unnaturally. Taylor's hands clenched and unclenched as if she had grabbed a live electrical wire. She let out a long cry and then went suddenly still.

Everyone, even Adams, watched in amazement as Taylor slowly straightened her body. Her mouth opened and a low moan came out. It was a slow sigh of despair. "She buried me…" said Taylor in a slow thick voice. "She buried me in all her hate…"

Confused looks went around the table. Adams eyes narrowed and he pulled the gun away from Marc. It was Bright Moon who first realized what was happening. In a hesitant voice she asked, "Simple Sunlight?"

Rebecca Taylor's body turned towards Bright Moon. The angry face gone, replaced with one of deep sadness. In a soft moan she said, "Please end this…it's unbearable…"

"Not a problem," said Adams and shot her.

* * *

####

* * *

Gray went low while Williams went high. Both men swung around the corner at the same time and released a spray of bullets. This hallway opened up into a large space filled with office cubicles. People dressed in rumpled black clothing stood in a small circle near the center of the drab gray cubical walls. Their opening volley missed most of the rebels, but Williams did see at least one black form crumble from their attack.

Gray and Williams attack wasn't the most strategic of plans, but with their forces cut in half sometimes an aggressive response did more than any surgical strike. Some of the rebels dove for cover while other froze in place, temporarily stunned by the sudden attack. Williams refocused on the figures still standing while Gray lay down withering fire on the people hiding behind the thin cubical walls.

A big man standing in the center pulled a gun and began to return fire. Williams recognized the man as Odell Watson. Williams took aim at the dark-skinned rebel, with Marc captured Odell was likely leading these people. If he could be killed they could end this threat quickly. As Williams pulled the trigger and the gun fired a small man rushed Odell and pushed him out of the way in the last second. The smaller figure took the hit and fell to the ground.

Williams tried to find Odell again, but the man had disappeared behind the small gray walls. The rebels were slowly responding, returning fire, but it was still disorganized. Williams ducked as several bullets hit the nearby wall. Twisting back to return fire something caught Williams's eyes. A girl with long blond hair sprinted away with the tall form of a black clad rebel.

"Samantha?" said Williams as he focused on the retreating couple. Williams felt his whole body go numb. He nearly dropped his riffle as he watched the blond hair girl disappear out of sight. He was suddenly inundated with memories of Samantha. His little girl running into his waiting arms…pushing her on a swing set…holding her when she had a bad dream.

"What the hell!?" said Gray as he grabbed Williams and yanked him back behind the cover of the wall.

"It's Samantha!" cried Williams as he pushed Gray away.

The man eyes grew confused and then slowly refocused on his fellow Agent. "Williams," said Gray, "listen to me…" But Williams had turned and was already running down the corridor. He'd seen Samantha run down a hallway parallel to his current one and he ran for the next intersection with the hopes of seeing her. He could hear Gray still yelling but he was beyond caring, had they not killed enough today? All he wanted to do was see his little girl.

Memories continued well up in Williams's mind, they increased with every step he took. He remembered their home on the military base. Remembered Samantha's birthday was in April. As the memories came back Williams felt the dull pain behind his eyes again. This time the pain felt like something was slowly pushing and wiggling in his mind. There was no denying what was happening this time. The parasite in him, Pale Light Gleaming, was waking up.

Williams paid the newly rising alien conscious little attention. He turned at the next intersection and saw her. A tall dark-haired man was holding her protectively. Williams raced towards her and called out, "Samantha!"

Instantly the tall man turned and shielded his little girl. Her eyes were wide with fright as she saw him running towards her. Williams realized that of course she would be afraid; he was still holding his gun. He dropped the weapon as if it was on fire as he came to halt in front of the couple.

Samantha's protector pulled out his own gun and aimed it at Williams. Williams raised his arms. "No, it's okay…Samantha it's me…its Daddy."

The girl's eyes remained impossibly large with fright and the tall dark-haired man didn't budge. His blazing blue eyes glared at Williams. "Get away from us!" he barked.

"Please," begged Williams as he stared at his little girl.

Without warning a dark form jumped out the darkness. Samantha's protector spun to face the new threat but was too slow. Agent Gray slammed the butt of his gun down on the tall man's head, the force of the blow sending him to the floor with a hard thud.

A high-pitched scream tore from Samantha throat, "Ian!"

Gray turned and smoothly shifted his weapon in his arms and aimed right for Samantha's head.

* * *

####

* * *

Echoes of the gun shot reverberated around the room. Deathly silence followed. Then an anguished cry came from Bright Moon as Simple Sunlight's body fell to the ground. Adams turned back to Marc. It was time to put all this to an end.

But Marc jumped out of his seat, his hands freed from the plastic bonds. His twisting back and forth in his seat had hidden his efforts to break the zip tie. Startled Adams took a step back and then brought up the gun. It gave Marc just enough time to grab hold of the gun. He yanked hard on the weapon, trying to twist it out of Adam's grip.

Adams fought to fend off Marc. He punched out and hit Marc hard in the younger man's side. Marc let out a groan of pain but stubbornly held on to the weapon. Adams finger tightened on the gun's trigger and the gun fired, once…twice…both bullets hitting the empty far wall. But it had the effect Adams wanted. The recoil of the gun had helped loosen Marc's grasp on the gun. With a hard kick Marc's mid-section he knocked the man loose.

Marc hit the ground hard. Adams kick to the gut had winded him. He started to push himself up when Adams brought the barrel of the gun towards Marc's head. "You deserve a much more painful death," snarled Adams as he pulled the trigger. Marc's eyes widened, the cold realization of his impending death struck him as hard as any blow. And then a blur of something dark jumped in between Adams and Marc, a small body with thinning hair – Seeker Skyward Into the Night.

The bullet struck Skyward dead center in the chest. His small body jerked hard from the impact but impossibly the small man remained standing, acting as a shield for Marc. "Monster," hissed Skyward as he faced Adams. The black-eyed man's lips twisted back to form a hideous grin. Adams brought the gun to bear on the small Seeker, right at Skyward's forehead, and fired.

The body of Seeker Skyward Into the Night simply dropped to the ground with a soft thud. Marc's eyes couldn't process what he saw, couldn't make sense of Skyward's body. He sat on the ground, unmoving in a daze. With the obstacle to Marc gone, Adams refocused his aim at the young man sitting on the floor. He pulled the trigger. And nothing happened, the gun was empty.

Time hung for a long second. No one moved. Then in an instant the room erupted into noise and violence. Souls cried out in terror from the bloodshed. Seeker Bright Moon hauled herself up on unsteady legs. Adams ejected the clip from the pistol and reached to his pocket for a new magazine. And Marc leapt from the floor and smashed his fist into Adams's face.

Adams shrugged off the blow. Marc pivoted in smoothly on Adams's left side and landed another punch, but Adams barely reacted from the hit. Instead he pocketed the gun while a wide smile grew on his face. A small streak of blood ran from his mouth where Marc had hit and Adams wiped it away with the back of his hand.

"Good," said Adams as he faced down Marc. "A bullet is too fast for you." Adams's hands were large and as they tightened into two massive fists. Marc could hear the knuckles pop from the pressure as the fists squeezed tight.

Marc one again went on the attack. He threw a hard punch to Adams's side and then kicked hard at Adams's shins trying to put the older man off-balance. In turn Adams twisted to his side and hit Marc hard in the jaw. The blow staggered Marc and he nearly went to his knees but he forced himself to stay standing.

Adams straightened and saw Marc take a step back. Keeping himself distanced from the muscled man Marc swung out again. But the punches were too far out and too slow and Adams easily blocked the blows. Marc leaned in for a fast jab and Adams caught the man's arm. They struggled but Adams was stronger and reeled Marc in.

Once…Twice…Three times Adams landed powerful blows on Marc's right side. Marc cried out in pain and Adams could tell he'd cracked the man's rib. With a hard shove he threw the battered man to the ground and then kicked him in his right side.

A scream erupted from the younger man as he crumpled on the floor. Adams leaned back and growled, "Come on boy, show me what you've got."

Adams reared back to kick Marc again when Bright Moon staggered into him. The Seeker wobbled badly on her feet and with her hands still tied behind her back she wasn't able to offer any real resistance. But she pushed herself between Adams and Marc. Through clenched teeth she fiercely spat her words at the black-eyed Adams. "You won't touch him!"

The ugly twisted smile again formed on Adams's lips. He moved to bat Bright Moon away when another body jumped in behind her, Long Rivers. The Soul Healer joined the Seeker in protecting Marc. Soon other bodies were crowding in around Bright Moon and Long Rivers. Dry Sands, Ice Cleaver, and Vermilion formed a tight circle in defense for Marc. Their faces still terribly frightened but they stood resolute as they faced down Adams.

Adams's sour smile remained as he surveyed the Souls. "Brave, but pointless." With a small nod of his bald head he indicated Seeker Skyward's fallen form. "You can all join him."

"Get out of the way," said Marc from behind the assembled Souls. He was standing again and he slowly stepped away from the protective shield of Souls. They tried to move to once again protect him but he stretched out his arm and warded them away. Bright Moon tried to force herself against the tall human. Without looking at her Marc gently squeezed her arm and walked past. Marc's eyes locked on Adams as he stepped forward to face his enemy.

"No Marc," said Bright Moon in a whisper.

"Run," he replied with a growl as he approached Adams. The hideous black-eyed man with the long thin scar on his head had watched all this with open amusement. He addressed Marc as his younger opponent approached him. "You'd fight for these worms?"

Adams got no further when Marc rushed forward and grabbed hold of Adams. Marc sudden burst of speed caught Adams of guard and Marc yanked forward and drove his knee into Adams's mid-section. The blow knocked the air from Adams's lungs and Marc drove his fist into Adams's jaw with vicious smack.

Knocking his opponent back, Marc took the briefest moment to turn back to Bright Moon. "Go!" he yelled at the Seeker. He didn't have time to see her reaction as Adams pushed back and landed a ringing blow to Marc's head.

Adams and Marc both fought furiously, trading blow for blow. Dodging and weaving around each other they both looked for an opening to exploit and damage the other. But Adams was stronger and Marc slower from his wounds. All too quickly the older man gained the advantage. A quick strike to Marc's right side caused him to twist in pain. Another blow from Adams's wide fist dropped Marc to his knees.

"You do fight for them," spat Adams as he closed his distance to Marc. Dazed Marc tried to ward off Adams ineffectually. Brushing aside Marc's meager defense Adams wrapped his broad hands around Marc's neck. As he hand crushed down on Marc's throat he added in a low voice, "Well then, you can die for them."

* * *

####

* * *

Williams stood over his former Agent. Gray's body was still alive, but not for much longer. When Gray had aimed for Samantha Williams's mind had snapped. He had tackled Gray and began to beat the man senseless. Gray had tried to fend him off but Williams was lost in a fury. His mind felt completely disconnected from his body and all his body wanted to do was kill Gray. Again and again he had landed blows on Gray's body. At some point he'd pulled out a knife and began to stab the man.

Except for Samantha's sobs everything was very still in the hallway. Williams still felt the strange vertigo of separation from his body as though he was floating nearby as a ghost. He could feel Pale Light Gleaming slowly becoming aware in the back of his mind. A dim and dull thought which was not Williams's trickled into his brain, _'What is happening?'_ For the moment Williams ignored the alien in his head.

"You shouldn't have tried to hurt Samantha," said Williams.

A deep gurgling came from Gray's throat and blood splattered on his lips when he coughed. "It's not your daughter," said Gray in a faint quivering voice. "Your…daughter is dead."

And Williams's memories came back. They all came back in a sudden flood, like a log jam which suddenly cleared. The memories flowed through him and he remembered everything…

* * *

_Craig Williams was finally leaving that God-forsaken country. Away from the stifling heat and the country's angry citizens, away from the constant worry of roadside bombs and constant raids, he was finally going home. He'd come home to Stacey and his little golden-haired Samantha. It would be for good this time._

_He didn't bother to listen to the other officers complain how strange the upper brass had been acting lately. How old friends were suddenly turning into some sort of odd peace-loving hippies. Craig simply let it go. He didn't know and didn't care. He was going home. First thing he would do was tell Stacey he was done. He'd given the service enough years of his life._

_But Stacey didn't meet him at the base's airport when he landed. Craig felt a low punch of pain to the gut at her absence. He knew they were having troubles, but she'd never missed seeing him off or greeting him with Samantha when he came back._

_Some part of him, the part shaped by years of combat, told him something was wrong as he walked to his home. But for the life of him he couldn't tell what. The street was clean, no hidden spots for bombs. Kids played in the yards, as tranquil as an episode from some 50's sitcom. But he couldn't shake the feeling he was being watched as he stepped up to his door._

_Stacey greeted him at the door. He pulled her to him and kissed her soundly. But she didn't return his kiss, instead going stiff in his arms. He pulled back, worried that their marriage was in worse shape than he thought. He'd asked her what was wrong, but she'd put him off. Saying she was only surprised by his early return. Stacey had never been a great liar and now she was downright awful._

_Craig sighed to himself, he knew he'd not been the best of husbands, but now he'd be changing things. He'd be home all the time now, time for Stacey and Samantha. Putting his concerns about Stacey away he went to find Samantha. He found his precious girl in her bed room reading a book. She sat so upright and calm while she read from her small desk. He smiled to himself. She was growing up so fast, already acting like a miniature adult._

" _Hello father," she greeted him in a crisp formal voice. So unlike the little girl he knew._

_She had always called him daddy. "Sweetie, what wrong? When have you ever called me father?" asked Craig, beginning to worry about how everyone was acting._

" _Nothing's wrong Craig. Not anymore," said Stacey from behind him in a soft voice. He turned and she sprayed something into his face. The strong scent of raspberries was the last thing he remembered. And then…._

… _He was Pale Light Gleaming, a recent first wave Soul colonist from the Mist World. He lived in a small home with two other Souls, Leaves Forward and Truthful Watcher. Leaves Forward had been his host's mate, but neither Soul felt compelled to carry on the partnership. However they were both friendly to each other and dedicated to raising Truthful Watcher's body to adult hood._

_They had a happy and peaceful existence, like all lives lived by the Souls. Almost every day Pale Light Gleaming traveled by automobile to former military base where he helped to disassemble and re-purpose all the terrible weapons created by the planet's host race. He did his job well; his host body had a great deal of knowledge about how the weapons worked. However it was a job Pale Light Gleaming would be glad to be done with and move on to a better calling._

_Beyond the unpleasantness of his current work he loved his new body and his new world. He greatly enjoyed spending time with Truthful Watcher. The way her young body's blond tresses cascaded down her small face always made him smile. Every so often he would catch himself addressing her as Samantha. He always felt odd when he said her host body's name, but Truthful Watcher never minded being called by the wrong name. She told him occasionally she felt an urge to call him 'daddy'. He'd been struck by a strange but wonderful feeling in his chest._

_Then late one night a man appeared at the door. He said his name was Gray. He'd been having trouble with his car and asked if he could come in to use their phone. He was friendly enough, but seemed oddly nervous and hurried. But Pale Light Gleaming had no reason to distrust the man and let him enter. Gray had been there for only a few moments when the man roughly grabbed him and shoved a rag into his face. He'd inhaled the biting smell from the cloth and then darkness._

_He awoke confused and in a haze to a nightmare. He was strapped to a table, unable to move, in a large white room. He saw men in white surgical masks looking down at him, their eyes cold and…human. No silver reflection in those cruel eyes. Panicked he'd swung his head back and forth, looking for help. There were other bodies in place, men, women, children, the young and the old, all strapped to tables just like his._

_There was a girl, young with short dark hair and an olive skin complexion, tied down and sobbing. One of the masked humans tried to comforter her, actually seemed concerned for the girl. He softly stroked her hair while telling her she was going to get better soon. For a moment Pale Light Gleaming lay stunned and confused, he'd never thought a human could be so gentle._

_Another masked human approached the two. This Human appeared to be in charge. He held a clip board and studied it for a moment. Looking down at the girl he spoke in a commanding voice, "Subject 23a, Mia Cheng…the DNA profile looks like it's a match. Send her down."_

_The Human who had comforted the girl paled and began to argue. But the Human in charge didn't bother to listen. He'd already turned away and examined another body. Pale Light Gleaming gasped out loud when he saw the body now being examined, it was Truthful Watcher. Her body was limp and still, a small trickle of dried blood running from her nose._

_"Gray reported It killed itself before he could capture," informed one of the Humans to the man with the clip board. He held Truthful Watcher's small head, the blond hair spilling over the sides of the table._

_A deep agonizing cry came from Pale Light Gleaming mouth. A stabbing pain moved through his entire body. His cry caused all the Humans in the room to turn to him in alarm. "Why?" he croaked out to the Humans._

_The Human with the clip board, the one in charge, came over to him to him and looked down at Pale Light Gleaming. His face hidden behind the surgical mask only showed his eyes. His human eyes weren't cold or angry, but instead happy…almost jubilant._

_And his voice reflected his delight, "We're going to make you better Mr. Williams..."_

* * *

Agony…utter soul crushing agony filed Williams and Pale Light Gleaming. There was no real separation between the two minds now. Thoughts, both human and alien, washed back and forth in the brain like a storm-tossed sea. Both minds lost in the despair of losing Samantha and Truthful Watcher.

Huddled on the floor, they sobbed out loud, large tears running down their face. Nearby Wanda held Ian's head in her lap, the unconscious man breathing slowly in and out while she caressed his face. Wanda's own tears trickling down her face and splashing on to Ian's unmoving form.

From the still dark hallway Melanie ran up, her eyes wide as she took in Gray's dead body, then Williams sobbing, and finally Wanda and Ian. "Ian!" cried out Melanie as she dropped down to the small Soul woman and her Human lover.

"That one," said Wanda in trembling voice as she pointed to the unmoving Agent Gray, "hit Ian hard. He's hurt…"

"It's okay," said Melanie uncertain if anything would ever be alright again.

"She's dead…Gray killed her…" said Williams in an odd broken voice. As though the mouth was unfamiliar with the words it was speaking. Both Wanda and Melanie turned to see Williams. The man was staring unsteadily at Wanda.

"You called me Samantha," said Wanda in hush. "I don't know that name, who was she?"

"Our daughter…We remember now." He blinked and seemed finally able to focus on Wanda. "You look so much like her, only older. You could've been sisters."

"We?" asked Melanie in some confusion, but then a spark of realization flashed in her eyes. "You're both in there," said Melanie as she pointed to his head, "Human and Soul. Whatever they did to you must be wearing off."

"We…I…don't know," said Williams with an effort. Melanie gave Wanda a small tug. They needed to get out of here quickly. She did not trust this man who only minutes before was trying to kill them.

But Wanda only stared at the man, her face full of sorrow and compassion for both Human and Soul. She spoke in gentle and comforting voice in attempt to soothe the broken man, "I'm so sorry."

Williams and Pale Light Gleaming both heard the words and the two minds shattered apart. Pale Light Gleaming heard the words as concern and solace from a fellow Soul. Comfort for all he had lost. But Human heard the words differently, as trite and condescending. Empty words offered as some type of pathetic relief for all he had lost.

Something deep within Williams's heart broke and anger flared in his mind. He fought for dominance with the parasite in his head. The Soul would normally be able to take control of the body and mind, but it was weak. Only a faint echo of what it had been and it shied away from fury burning in the Human's mind. As Pale Light Gleaming was pushed back into the back of his mind, Williams felt a surge of strength and elation run though his body. He was in control…not the worm in the back of his head. His rage fed upon itself and he grew even stronger.

"You're…sorry!?" said Williams in a deadly calm voice.

Wanda could hear the change in his voice and could see the anger and rage in the blue eyes. As she watched she could see the silver flicker in those eyes begin to fade. She swallowed nervously while she felt Melanie stiffen next to her and Ian.

Williams stood up slowly, he glanced at his fallen fellow agent, and then back to Wanda. His blue eyes locked on to her silver-gray ones. The blue in Williams's eyes was like Ian's, the same vibrate dark blue. But Ian's eyes, even when they had first met and he'd tried to strangle her, had never held such complete and utter hatred.

"What, exactly, are you sorry about?" said Williams as he slowly approached Wanda. "Are you sorry about my daughter?"

"Yes..s.s," stammered Wanda.

"Are you sorry about taking over my world? All the lives you've stolen?" Williams's eyes narrowed as he forcefully pulled memories Pale Light Gleaming. "You've taken so many and for so long! Are you sorry for all that!?"

"We…" began Wanda but realized there was nothing she could say that wouldn't enrage the man further. She wanted to run, run as fast as she could, but Ian needed her and she stared frozen to the spot.

Melanie hands tighten into fist and she pushed herself forward in attempt to block Wanda and Ian. She growled out, "Wanda and the Souls aren't the ones who did this to you. These people who sent you here did. They," and she slapped her hand out towards Gray, "killed your daughter."

"It was the worm in her head! It shredded my little girl!" screamed Williams as he lunched himself at Melanie and Wanda. He shoved Melanie aside, sending the brunet woman sprawling, and then grabbed hold of Wanda's small form.

He lifted her small body with contemptible ease. Wanda's leg kicked in the air wildly as she struggled. Melanie pulled herself up and went for Gray's gun. She grabbed the large weapon from the ground and fumbled with it as she attempted to aim at the man holding Wanda.

"Don't bother," snapped Williams as he spun and put Wanda between himself and Melanie's recovered weapon. He leaned in close to Wanda, his face red with rage less than an inch for her pale white lips. Williams locked his eyes again on Wanda. His eyes blazed with impossible hatred and voice so empty and dark it was as if the void of space was pouring out. "There will never be a Hell good enough for your wretched worms. Never will a fire burn hot enough or long enough."

The sound of pounding feet coming down the hallway signaled the approach of more rebels. Williams held Wanda at arm's length and then threw her to ground. Pain radiated through her body as she hit the floor. Williams towered over her but then he began to retreat. His burning blue eyes never leaving her silver-grey ones as he slowly disappeared into the shadows.

* * *

####

* * *

The black-eyed monster of a man stood over Marc, crushing the life from his body. His eyes loosing focus on the world as a cold darkness pulled him down. Marc's life did not flash before his eyes as he was strangled. Instead it came in slow sluggish waves, one crashing upon another. An ocean of memories slowly draining away as his oxygen starved brain fought to stay alive.

A memory when he was a boy one rainy night, running to the door to greet his father, but finding a police officer with sad eyes instead…Trying to avoid the thuggish older boys of his new neighborhood coming home from school…His mother's sobs as Child Protection Services lead him away, promising him he was just going away for a short time while his mother got well…Running away from the abusive foster home…Of living on the streets with Kate and Jason…Hiding from the police and then the slow realization that the police were no longer the police…Watching the world transform into a strange parody of itself, where everyone was so very nice and everyone's eyes had rings of silver…Meeting Autumn Gusting Wind…Meeting Sister Mary-Margret…Running from Bright Moon…Of Holding Autumn's hand as Souls died by the thousands…And Tim, the boy who would never get to grow up.

And something deep within Marc began to burn…

Painfully he forced his eyes open. The world was gray and the light fading. He focused on the demon before him...No, not a demon…Just a man, a man whose eyes were solid black…Soulless eyes…Dead eyes.

Slowly Marc brought up his two hands. He barely had control of them. His hands moved so slowly that Adams, focused on strangling him, didn't even notice until Marc gripped the collar of his shirt. Marc latched on with the strength of a drowning man clutching a life-preserver. Then with the very last of his strength, some deep reserve he'd never known he had, he pulled Adams down at the same time as his legs pushed off the floor.

Marc's forehead slammed into the bridge of Adams's nose. There was a sickening crunch and suddenly Adams's vice like grip released. Marc sucked in air and the world of grey retreated. Adams's hands went to his nose, trying to stop a stream of blood coming from the broken nose.

Pulling himself unsteadily to his feet, Marc felt his head and right side throb together in misery. But the pain was slowly but steadily being burnt away by the smoldering fire within. A deep growl of came from Adams's chest, something animalistic and angry. Marc felt a growl grow in his chest as well, but it was one born from outrage, horror, and vengeance.

Adams let go of his broken nose. Marc's hands curled to fists at his sides. Adams flexed his arms, tightening his muscles into cords of iron. Marc brought his feet into a fighter's stance, his legs tensing. Both men glared at each other, Adams's coal-black eyes to Marc's brown.

At once they flew at each other. Adams right arm streaking towards Marc's head, he expected Marc to counter and block the blow. But the younger man took the hit and the punch barely even slowed Marc. Now in close to Adams, Marc threw a right jab to Adams's middle, and then brought his left fist squarely into the other man's jaw.

Surprised Adams spun away and brought up his left arm just as Marc threw a wide punch aimed for Adams's head. Adams blocked the blow and threw out another of his own. But Marc pressed in and side-stepped the hit. Adams struck again, a hard strike in Marc's right side, on the broken rib. Pain flared through Marc, but he pushed through the pain, he endured it.

Once again Marc's left fist swung in to hit Adams's jaw, this time Adams was ready and knocked away his hand easily. Only to realize he'd opened his left side to attack. Marc's right fist landed with a loud crack on Adams's broken nose. The cartilage crumbled and a large gush of blood erupted from the sack of skin that had once been the black-eyed man's nose.

Another growl came from Adams, again animal-like and angry. But this time the growl was laced with pain. Now Adams reared back and charged Marc. He threw wide powerful blows at Marc, both right and left swings. Marc blocked as best he could, but the sheer strength and size of Adams's punches forced the younger man back. Adams was relentless, forcing Marc towards the corner of the room where he could box Marc in and finish him.

Punched in the left side Marc felt his whole body shake and he fell back. Adams shifted his weight and brought his left fist in for another hit on Marc's battered right side. But blood from his ruined nose trickled into his onyx eyes. It mixed with sweat from the fight and Adams blinked as his vision blurred. His blow missed Marc by a hair's width, his fist hitting nothing but air. Too much of his weight was in his forward step and Adams stumbled from his flailing swing. And Marc was on him.

The fire in Marc was now a full blown inferno. White hot rage coursed through him and hit Adams with every bit of strength he had. Adams head snapped back from blow. Adams tried to recover, tried to bring up his arms to ward of the blow, but Marc batted it away and struck again. This time, the blow drove Adams to his knees. A wild cry exploded from Marc's raw throat as he arched back and then bashed Adams's head with all the strength in his right arm.

"This Is For Tim…You…Son… Of… A…Bitch." Screamed Marc, each word punctuated with a blow from his fist.

Feebly Adams tried to pull away, tried put distance between himself and the enraged man. But Marc was without mercy and his left hand seized Adams and rooted him to the spot. Again and again Marc hammered away at man. Every bone broken in his right hand and still Marc pounded away.

With a strangled cry Adams sagged as his head rolled back. His face was now nothing but twisted wreckage. His body drooped and Marc lost his grip. Adams's body hit the ground like a heavy sack of wet rotten clothes. For long seconds both Marc and Adams were still, nothing but their labored breathing, both men utterly spent.

With a slow jerky motion of his right hand, Adams pulled the detonator from his pocket. Marc hadn't seen the device before, didn't know its function, but had no desire to let Adams use it. He reached for it but his right hand was already badly swollen and he couldn't grab hold. Adam's trembling hand turned the key and the detonator button lit up green. He reached for the button and Marc grabbed hold with his left hand.

Both men wrestled with the small box. Marc had only one hand on the device while Adams held on with both of his hands. Both locked in a death grip on the device, Adams one last act of violence. Marc twisted to pull the device away but Adams held fast, his fingers inching towards the trigger. Then Marc brought his foot back and kicked Adams in the head as hard as he could.

Then again.

And again.

Finally the bald-headed, black-eyed monstrosity of a man let go of the detonator. Marc ripped it away. Marc studied it for a moment and then simply twisted the key back to its original position and button's light went out. He tossed it away and looked down at Adams.

The man still breathed, his large chest rising and falling in a slow rhythm of unconsciousness. But the man's head was bent at an unnatural angle. If Adams's neck wasn't broken it was at the very least horrifically twisted. His face beaten raw and his black eyes swelled shut. Blood leaked out Adams's mouth and the crushed remains of his nose. It was over.

A whimper, a hushed gasp, tearful noises caused Marc to turn from the broken man at his feet. In the far corner of the room the Quorum huddled in abject terror. Souls were not designed for such horror and violence. Unmoving they stared up at him with wide silver rimmed eyes.

"Marc," said a hushed voice from beside him. It was Bright Moon on Fallen Snow. With effort he turned to her. Her hair matted with blood, her face very pale, and eyes still filled with horror at everything that had happened. But she looked beautiful to Marc. He tried to smile, tried to let her know everything was alright but found the world was gradually going dark. The darkness tugged at him and he realized he was slowly falling, his legs no longer able to keep him up right.

"Marc!" came Bright Moon voice, heavy with alarm. But he didn't hear her. The darkness had already taken him.


	22. Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: Hurt belongs to Trent Razor.

"Huh," said Eric as he looked around the dimly lit corridor, "that's funny."

Jason waited beside the pudgy computer expert for a further explanation. But Eric was busy studying the screen of his laptop. When it became clear Eric wasn't going to elaborate the stocky man said with an edge of frustration in his voice, "Funny like 'Ha Ha', or funny like 'Oh God we're going to die horribly'?

"I don't know," admitted Eric.

"Eric," glowered Jason, "we need to get ready to move out. We're supposed to secure the elevator out of this crazy sideshow. We shut down the security system. You can quit it with all the geek stuff."

The older man gave Jason a quick scowl. "No. You cut power to the servers with you little axe there," he pointed with his free hand at the fire axe Jason still carried. "I didn't get a chance to see what was running on the equipment."

"Yeah I'm real torn up about that," retorted Jason in a monotone voice.

"Sure you are," came Eric's dry reply as he went back to reviewing the laptop's screen. Finally he began to explain to Jason. "See there is a repeating signal broadcasting around here," said Eric as he pointed to a graph on the laptop's screen, "running on a really odd frequency."

Jason frowned at Eric's expiation and said, "Something the Souls are doing, or the other guys…" He broke off, not needing to clarify the 'other guys'. Both men had seen more than enough examples of the mysterious humans who had attacked the Souls in the building.

"That's what I don't know," replied Eric. He stopped and spun around slowly. A large smile appeared on the computer hacker's face. "But now I've got a lock on the signal." He pointed back down the passageway the two men had just walked.

They retraced their steps down the corridor and after turning down a previously unexplored hallway they came to a door with a sign titled **'Shelter'** above the door frame. Jason looked at Eric and then back to the door. He shrugged and said, "Maybe it's some type of distress signal."

"Well, I guess there's only one way to find out," said Eric as he grasped the doorknob and pulled the door opened. And then both Jason and Eric jumped back in alarm. The room was full of people. Jason guessed at least a dozen men and women crammed themselves into the room. The dim glow coming from the emergency lights wasn't enough to cause their eyes to shine, but Jason was certain they were all Souls.

Since the rebels had entered the building they had not seen any living Souls. In fact they had found few bodies at all. Marc believed the Souls would seek out a place to hide until it was safe to come out. As Jason stared blankly at the room full of Souls he reflected that a room marked Shelter would be the obvious place for them to hide.

The Souls nearest the open door had also jumped back in alarm when Eric opened the door, but they had little room to retreat. Instead they shrank back into a huddle while gasping in surprise and fear at their discovery. Then a young man with a thin blond mustache in the front of the doorway took a hesitant step towards Jason and Eric. In a quivery voice he asked, "Who are you?"

Jason sighed and then pulled out their walkie-talkie. The encroaching Soul gave him an odd look as they saw the worn and battered device. He pressed down on the send button and spoke into the receiver, "Dell, this is Jason. We've got a problem."

* * *

####

* * *

Pain radiated out from Seeker Night Ember Lights's right arm. Lying on the ground he twisted in effort to relieve pressure on the shoulder. His efforts lessened the pain from the gunshot wound in his right limb, but now his left leg arched miserably from his other wound. In a span of little more than an hour he'd been shot twice, once in the leg while trying to escape from a pursing Human gunman, and a second time when he pushed Dell out of the line of fire.

Gritting his teeth from the pain, Night Ember Lights pulled himself up with his good arm to a half sitting position. Around him the Humans were in a flurry of activity. Only minutes before they had come under attack while interrogating their prisoner. Caught off guard, several rebels had fallen in the attack. The Seeker had seen one the attackers take aim at Dell and without hesitation he'd pushed the large man out of way.

Then, as suddenly as the attack began, the gunmen broke off their attack and retreated. Night Ember Lights didn't know why, but for the moment the Humans were busy tending to the injured. A young Human with dark tan skin and floppy bangs had briefly inspected his injury but she'd been called away to help with the other wounded.

His arm throbbed miserably from the second wound and he wanted to ask for some NO PAIN. Would the Humans even care to help him? Wasn't he their enemy? But Melanie Stryder had helped him before. Even though she didn't seem to like him, she had saved his life. Humans could be so strange. Frist one Human tried to kill him and then another tried to save him.

Dell stomped over and interrupted Night Ember Lights's contemplation. The Seeker did his best to scuttle out of the away from the massive man. Dell's face was tight with worry and he agitatedly paced back and forth. In his big hand the human held a small communication device up to his ear. His rough voice drowned out the noise of the surrounding chaos.

"Just get them out of the building. There's plenty of the buggers standing around outside to take care of them," grumbled Dell into his walkie-talkie. A reply came back which Night Ember Lights couldn't hear but caused Dell to snort with a laugh. "Go ahead tell them you're a human if it'll get them to leave."

Ending his call, Dell glanced down at Night Ember Lights. Involuntarily the Seeker drew in a tight breath. Dell's size made him very imposing and Night Ember Lights had to resist the urge to tremble as the Human eyed him cautiously. With a grunt Dell slowly lowered himself down to sit next to the Seeker.

"We found some of your people," said Dell in slightly softer voice. He continued to study the young Soul. "We're going to send them outside."

Night Ember Lights mustered his voice into something slightly stronger than a whisper, "Thank you."

Dell made the smallest of shrugs with his wide shoulders. "No point in keeping them. They'd just get in the way." Dell looked away and Night Ember Lights let out a pent-up groan. Dell's head snapped back at the sound and his eyes focused on the Seeker's injuries. With a sigh Dell began to rummage around through the man pockets of his midnight colored cloak.

"I'd have Simon look at you, but he's busy with our people. Paul took a slug to the stomach and Ian got bashed on the head. Simon and Kate are doing their best to patch them up before we hightail it out of here."

"It's alright," replied Night Ember Lights as he tried to keep his voice even. "Don't worry about me."

Dell ignored Night Ember Lights's request. He continued to rifle through his pockets until he pulled out a tube of NO PAIN. He continued to eye the Seeker speculatively as he measured out a dose of the medicine. "You saved my life. Why did you do that?"

Night Ember Lights swallowed nervously as the big Human watched him intently. "Well…I didn't want to see you hurt…I don't like seeing people hurt…I like to help."

Dell snorted in derision. "Yeah, I know how Seekers like to 'help'. Cut us open and put one of you creepy crawlies into our heads."

"Yes, that's true," said Night Ember Lights cautiously. He didn't want to upset Dell. "But I know Humans don't like it. You hate us for what we do." He glanced around as the humans tended to their injured. "The people who attacked us today hate us and want to destroy us. But I…"

Night Ember Lights paused, uncertain how to continue. His short life hadn't given him much experience with anger or hate. His human body, the only body he'd ever known, could feel these emotions. But his nature as a Soul shied away from the negative feelings. "I guess," continued the Seeker, "I don't want to hate anyone. I guess I don't want anyone to hate me, that is why I saved you."

Dell tilted his head back and stared up at the ceiling. His eyes took on a faraway look. After staring at the ceiling tiles for a while he turned back to the Seeker and held out several small squares of the NO PAIN. "I've hated lots of people," said Dell as Night Ember Lights swallowed the thin strips dutifully, "not just Seekers. Long before you guys showed up I had plenty of hate in me."

The throbbing pain in Night Ember Lights's body began to fade. "I know," said the Seeker, "Humans are so angry so much of the time. How do you stand it?"

Dell let out a loud laugh and shook his head at the Seeker. "You know, I was just thinking the same thing. When I was younger I would get angry. Something or someone would annoy me and it would set me off. Even after what upset me was long gone the anger would stay with me. I guess I just got use to the anger, didn't know who I would be without it."

"Doesn't seem like a very good way to live," broached Night Ember Lights.

"It's not," replied Dell. "Cost me a lot when I was younger. At some point I realized I needed to let go of all the hate. It just weighed me down." He paused and stared meaningfully at the Seeker. "I don't like what you do, but I guess I don't want to hate you either."

Night Ember Lights sat silently and reflected on Dell's words. He'd always been curious about Humans, endlessly fascinated by his host's race. They had built and accomplished so much, but at the same time they could be so savage to each other. He'd been told Humans were always angry and hateful which caused them to become so destructive. Painfully he'd seen many examples of their cruelty today. But Dell seemed to realize the price for such hate and tried to change. Maybe Wanderer was right about the Humans.

Both Dell and Night Ember Lights continued to sit silently, lost in their own thoughts when Scott and Nate ran up in a panic. "Dell," began Scott in a rush, "it's the prisoner. He's dead."

With a start Dell shook himself from his reverie and stood up in alarm. "What? When did this happen?"

"Just a minute ago," replied Nate. The older man ran his hand over his rough face. "Scott and I were trying to get some answers out of Kendrick. Try to find where they took Marc when he gets this odd smile on his face. He says, 'Well that was easy' and then a second later he keels over."

"What did he do? Did you get Simon? Did you find out anything?" demanded Dell.

"It was cyanide. I could smell the bitter almonds aroma right after he collapsed. There wasn't anything we could do," explained Scott. "I didn't see him swallow anything, but somehow he go to the poison." Dell growled out a curse

"But we might have something," offered Nate. "Kendrick let it slip that his people were here for the Quorum. I think he realized right away he'd messed up and made sure we didn't learn anything else."

Dell let out a deep sigh and then regarded Scott and Night Ember Lights. "So where is this Quorum I've heard so much about?"

* * *

####

* * *

Marc felt something cool touch his lips. It was damp with moisture and had a soft spongy feel as it passed over his mouth. He felt the dampness again as it pressed against the side of his face. It ran across something which burned with pain. A faint groan worked its way out of his throat. The traveling soft wet feeling stopped and pulled away from his face. Marc's addled senses decided the feeling best fit a damp cloth. Someone was trying to wash his face. He felt an odd moment of indignation; he could clean his own face just fine.

"I think he's waking up," said an anxious voice to his side. "Healer, we need some more NO PAIN."

Another voice said in a soft reassuring tone, "I've already given him a dose. It should take effect soon."

Pain, Marc defiantly did feel pain. From his feet to his head his body reported a variety of hurts. From a tight stab of agony in his right side to a dull throbbing ache in his head. He recalled NO PAIN usually left a person feeling mildly euphoric. He didn't feel very blissful. If it wasn't for the pain in his side he'd roll over and go back to sleep.

"Marc, can you hear me?" said the worried voice. Marc recognized this voice. In the past he had heard the voice annoyed and angry. The voice wasn't used to being irritated so Marc had taken great joy in the fact he was the one responsible for getting it angry. Now when the voice was sad and worried he realized he wanted to reassure the owner of the voice.

"Yes," replied Marc and surprised himself by how faint and hoarse his voice sounded. Marc let out a small sigh. He finally realized his eyes were closed and he was going to have to open them. Upon opening his eyes he saw two people sitting right next to him, Seeker Bright Moon on Fallen Snow and Healer Long Rivers.

Both aliens blinked in surprise as he looked up at them. He tried to rise but found his body wasn't cooperating. A wave of dizziness pulsed through him as soon as he lifted his head. His legs jerked slowly and spastically and he only managed to raise himself up a few inches before Healer Long Rivers laid a hand on his chest and gently pushed him back down. Bright Moon lightly touched his face with her hand and said, "Please, Marc, lay still. You're badly hurt."

Marc's memories were slowly reassembling themselves. Being captured by Agent Taylor, meeting with the man named Adams, and then finally fighting that black-eyed monster. He let out another groan and said, "Remind me to never do that again."

The smallest of smiles played on Bright Moon's mouth. "I will, even though I don't think you will listen to me."

More memories clarified in Marc's mind and he said, "Skyward? Taylor or," he stammered, "Simple Sunlight? Did you save them?"

Both Souls exchange forlorn looks and then Healer Long Rivers shook his head slowly. Bright Moon added sadly, "No, we couldn't save either one."

Marc let out a shaky sigh and lay still on the ground. He shut his eyes and for the moment concentrated on breathing. The NO PAIN was working. His various aches and pains were slowly fading till they were nothing put a dull discomfort. The loping dizziness faded as well. He heard Long River move and then stand up.

"I need to attend to the others," said the Healer in his comforting voice. Bright Moon mumbled a reply and then the Healer made faint sound of disapproval. "Seeker, you've been injured as well. You need to rest."

Marc heard Bright Moon clear her throat. "I will rest once the crisis is over."

"Please," said Long Rivers, "you've suffered a damaging blow to the head. You need to stay still to give my treatment time to repair the damage."

"I'm fine," replied a suddenly very stubborn Bright Moon.

With a resigned sigh Long River answered, "Very well."

Marc opened his eyes and watched the Healer walk away. He looked over to Bright Moon with a small grin. Looking down she said with a faint frown, "What?"

"Oh, you've got that look on your face again," he replied as his grin widened. "Whenever you tightened your jaw and pursed your lips I knew I was in for a load of trouble."

Bright Moon's frown deepened. "I was unaware I had such a telling trait. I will work harder to maintain ridged emotional control of my body." She said the last part with a forced blank expression on her face.

Marc regarded her for a few seconds and then said innocently, "Did you know I'm pretty good at hotwiring a car?" Bright Moon stared blankly at Marc and he continued, "I mean when I was stealing your car I really didn't need the keys."

"If so, why did you take them?" asked Bright Moon not understanding where Marc was going with the conversation.

A full grin appeared on Marc's face. "I wanted to feel you up."

Bright Moon's straight face expression shattered in an instant and she said hotly, "You pig."

"Oink," replied Marc with a laugh. Bright Moon stared at him and then a slow blush formed on her cheeks. The blush continued until Bright Moon was very red-faced. She turned away from Marc and said with a faint laugh of her own, "You're an impossible Human to deal with."

They both grew silent for several minutes. Marc lay still while Bright Moon continued to clean away some dried blood on Marc's heavily bruised right hand. There was a calm peacefulness between the two of them. But Marc finally let out a deep breath and grew serious. He asked, "What did you do with Adams?"

Bright Moon was silent for a moment and with a sigh of her own she answered. "We removed Seeker Twice Fires from the…body and placed him in a cryotank."

"So he really had one of you guys in his head? And Adams was still in complete control?" questioned Marc.

"It would appear so," said Bright Moon in a stiff voice.

Marc remembered the way he repeatedly kicked Adams in the head. With more concern than he thought he could have for the irritating Seeker he asked, "Is Twice Fires alright? I know I really bashed Adams in the head." Bright Moon regarded Marc silently with a troubled expression on her face as she recalled the brutal violence of the battle. "It wasn't like I was planning all the fighting out in advanced. I was doing a lot of improvising."

"There was some tearing on Twice Fires anterior antenna. It will require surgery to repair the physical damage. Psychologically…I don't know how the Seeker will be after being connected to Adams." answered Bright Moon with a faint shudder. She looked away as she continued, "The antenna cut through part of Adams's brain. There's a lot of bleeding and swelling. Long Rivers was able to stabilize the body but…" She drifted off and didn't meet Marc's eyes.

"What?" pressed Marc.

In a very soft voice she answered, "We'll want to…dissect Adams. To learn how his immunity was achieved." She finally managed to face Marc and said just above a whisper, "I'm sorry."

Bright Moon eyes met Marc's, her blue with silver to his brown, and both sets of eyes tired and sad as they stared at each other. Marc lay still while he contemplated Bright Moon's answer. Finally he said, "This is going to get really bad, isn't? For both my people and yours."

"I think it will," admitted Bright Moon.

Marc closed his eyes again. "I didn't want this. I didn't want more war. No matter which side wins there'll be so much death."

"I know," said Bright Moon with a faint sob. Marc opened his eyes to see tears in the Seeker's eyes. He reached up with his good hand and touched her gently. Bright Moon was still as he brushed a stray tear from her face. She took his hand in hers and held it tightly as she whispered, "Thank you."

Their moment of peace didn't last. Long Rivers returned and the Healers face was contorted with worry and apprehension. Bright Moon let go of Marc's hand and stood to face the man. She was clearly concerned by his appearance. Long Rivers fretfully looked between the Seeker and Marc.

"What is it?" asked Bright Moon.

Long Rivers glanced once at Marc and then answered. "Comforter Benjamin was able to make contact with the emergency staff outside the building. They are sending help soon."

"But that is good news," said Bright Moon. "But why are you so anxious Healer?"

Long Rivers explained in a rush of words. "They've been told to wait. Multiple teams of Seekers from Milwaukee and Rockford are on their way via helicopter. The Seekers have been ordered to take control of the building." He hesitated as he looked down at Marc. "They've been ordered to terminate any Human on sight."

"But," began Bright Moon as she shook her head emphatically, "Adams has been stopped. There is no need for force. With Marc's people here…"

Long Rivers interrupted, "We tried to explain. But they insisted on the need for control." The Healer grew visibly upset and continued, "They said they need to 'manage the Human threat'."

Marc succeeded in pushing himself to a half setting position and let out a very resigned sigh. He looked up at the two Souls and said, "Let no good deed go unpunished."

* * *

####

* * *

"Look," said Jason who was trying – and failing – to keep his voice calm as he spoke to the group of Souls, "nobody is going to hurt you. Just come out of there and you can exit out the front door. Your people are waiting for you out there."

The Soul with the thin blond mustache, his name was Thru Darkened Skies, eyed the two Humans warily and then glanced back to the gathered Souls in the shelter. "You understand," he began slowly, "after everything that has happened today why we would be very reluctant to trust you."

Jason threw up his hands in disgust and leaned back against the wall. "Fine then," he retorted, "just stay in your little hole for all I care." He turned to Eric and said, "Let's go."

"Just a second," interrupted Eric. Jason rolled his eyes but let him continue. Eric looked up from his laptop to the Souls in their refuge. "We tracked a signal to this room. Are you guys broadcasting some sort of distress signal?"

Thru Darkened Skies blinked in surprise and one of the Souls behind him pressed forward. The Soul was an older woman with strands of light gray in her chocolate-brown hair. She also regarded the two men cautiously and spoke in a soft voice. "There is a device in the shelter, a large sealed canister with wiring. It is not something which belongs here. Could this be the source of your signal?"

Eric frowned and asked, "Can I see it?"

Reluctantly the Souls parted and made way from Eric. He pushed forward into the room and swung his flashlight around until the light shone on a large black barrel in the back corner of the shelter. Other than a series of wires relayed around the top the canister was completely devoid of markings. Eric approached the canister carefully, his frown only deepening.

"You don't know how it got here?" asked Eric as he examined the device.

"No," replied Thru Darkened Skies. "It was already here when we sought refuge from the explosions." He regarded Eric quizzically, "We had little light with us and didn't investigate it closely. What is it?"

Jason studied the canister from a distance as Eric lightly ran his hand over the cover of the drum. He pulled back and sniffed his hand. When he did the stout man paled instantly. In a hoarse whisper he said, "Everyone get out of this room."

"What?" exclaimed Jason.

Eric didn't reply and was already backing away from the canister. His clear alarm troubled the remaining Souls in the room and they quickly exited with Eric. Once in the hallway Eric quickly closed the door to the shelter.

"What's wrong?" asked Jason and Thru Darkened Skies at the same time.

"I should have realized…" said Eric as he trailed off. He went back to his laptop and securitized the screen.

"Eric!" snapped Jason. The computer expert lookup from his computer and Jason growled out through clenched teeth. "What. Is. Going. On!?"

"Potassium nitrate," replied Eric. The Souls and Jason looked blankly back at Eric. With a sigh Eric elaborated. "You know the stuff in fertilizer, fireworks, and gunpowder."

Jason felt his mouth go dry. "You don't mean…"

Eric nodded his head emphatically and said, "Yeah, it's a bomb. A big one."

* * *

####

* * *

Craig Williams studied himself in the mirror. There was just enough illumination from the emergency light in the bathroom to cause a faint reflection of silver from his eyes. He smiled to himself. He had wondered if the silver would stay after his memory returned and the battle for control of his body. But the telltale sign of a Soul was still with him. He could still feel Pale Light Gleaming but for now the alien parasite was just a faint shadow in his mind.

Before the alien reflection from his eyes had always bothered him, it represented everything wrong with himself. The massive gaps in his memory had made him little more than a shell of a man. He knew he'd been a solider, that at some point he'd been captured and taken over by a parasite, and then later the doctors of the Facility had freed him. But beyond these basic facts his life was nothing but an empty void. It was a horrific way to live.

Craig wasn't much for metaphors, but he felt like he had shed his skin like a snake. His memories were back and he was a new man. He had discarded his combat equipment. It felt good to cast of the heavy weight of the Kevlar armor and weapons. He'd removed anything which could tie him to his former teammates. The black uniform of a Seeker was a little tight in the shoulders but it was still a good fit.

Still smiling to himself, Craig felt like signing. He remembered he had sung in church when he was a boy. A song from old Johnny Cash came to mind. He began to hum the tune as he examined his new outfit. It was so good to remember.

His new black uniform hid the blood well. But as Craig studied his reflection he noticed the large hole where the bullet ripped through the cloth. He worked the lapel of the uniform to hide the gunshot wound. After a few tries he hid most of the damage to the uniform. It wasn't perfect, but it would be good enough to fool any parasites he might come across.

" _What have I become my sweetest friend,"_ sang Craig

There was of course still the matter of the Human rebels and what remained of his former team. But Craig wasn't overly concerned. He could avoid the rebels easily enough and with Gray dead, Anderson out cold, and Kendrick captured there wasn't really anyone to stop him.

Craig began the second verse, _"Everyone I know goes away in the end."_

What became of Adams or Taylor? Craig was sure they were operating on a different mission than the others. They were only to take out the Seeker security in the building and capture the parasites of the Quorum. What should have been a quick mission had turned into protracted fight with both the remaining Seekers and then Humans from Chicago all because Adams was busy toying with the Souls.

Voice rising Craig continued, _"And you could have it all my empire of dirt."_

But it didn't matter. Not the mission, not the promise of Adams resistance to insertion, not even killing the parasites. He would never be able to kill enough of the alien silver worms. There could be an ocean of silver blood from their shredded bodies and it still wouldn't be enough.

_"I will let you down."_

His little girl was dead. His beautiful Samantha was dead. Nothing else really mattered. Craig turned to leave the bathroom and then paused. There was that girl or was she a woman?…the false Samantha. What had the other woman called her? He concentrated, replaying the memory in his head. Yes, he remembered her name now…Wanda. Craig Williams remembered the parasite named Wanda and her patronizing words of comfort.

_"And I will make you hurt…"_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While Hurt was originally a Nine Inch Nails song I've always preferred the Johnny Cash version. Its much more poignant and I think it fits Williams well as he slides into madness.  
> Adams made a descent villain, but he was a two dimensional antagonist. But that was sort of the point, he was a misdirect while I built the real monster...Williams.  
> We're on the home stretch now.
> 
> -Walker


	23. Escape

The face of Seeker Gentle Waves did not match her name. She wore an expression filled with stress and frustration. These were uncommon emotions for Souls but not unheard for Seekers. Their calling required dealing with the unpleasant and the dangerous. With the attack by armed Human rebels on the Administration Building she had a great deal of unpleasant and dangerous problems. But her current issue had nothing to do with Humans. She was dealing with the bizarre reappearance of a former co-worker.  
  
Trying to force back a growing headache she rubbed her forehead with her fingers and said, "Seeker, I'm not sure I'm following you. You've told me the reports of your death are incorrect. But not explain why or how you're here."  
  
The small woman's companion, a tall red-haired man with a dense coverage of freckles on his face, said stiffly, "When this crisis is over we can take the time to explain the situation in more detail."  
  
"I'm sorry, you are?" asked Gentle Waves.  
  
Stumbling over his words the man replied, "S…Seeker B…Burns."  
  
Seeker Gentle Waves frowned. Something was not right with these two Seekers. She wasn't certain what was causing their problems. Their situation was stressful and it was possible they weren't handling the pressure well. She had seen more than a few Seekers require a great of deal of help from Comforters after dealing with the violent inhabitants of this world. But there were too many unknowns at present and with more Seekers on the way she would soon have enough support to get to the truth.  
  
"I am going to need the two of you to…" But she got no further when the crowd of onlookers suddenly cried out. She turned and saw everyone was looking at the front of the of the ruined Administration building. A group of people, nearly a dozen, were slowly making their way out of the large hole created by Humans and their commandeered garbage truck.  
  
As one the crowd surged forward to greet the newcomers. With the many emergency lights in the plaza reflecting off the silver in their eyes there was no doubt of their identity. Healers and other emergency staff raced to intercept the refugees. For their part, the Souls exiting the building stopped and looked stunned as their brethren joined them in front the ruined building.  
  
Pushing her way through the crowd Gentle Waves arrived to meet a Soul in the body of a young man with a thin mustache. He appeared greatly stressed. Speaking to a Healer he said faintly, "No Healer, we aren't physically hurt." When he saw Gentle Waves he nodded and his body relaxed. "Seeker, I'm relieved you are here."  
  
"What happened to you!?" she demanded. She realized her tone was too forceful, too aggressive for the Soul tensed and shrank back in alarm.  
  
Forcing herself to speak calmly she said, "I apologize, you have been through a very trying time. We've recently been contacted by the Quorum. But we know little about the conditions in other parts of the building. Anything you can tell us will be very helpful."  
  
"Ye…s…Yes, Seeker," replied the Soul in trembling voice. He paused to compose himself and then continued. "After the explosions there was a great deal of confusion. The exits were all sealed so we took retreated to the shelter in the basement. We remained there until two Humans found us."  
  
Distressed she asked, "What did they do to you?"  
  
Growing slightly confused he answered, "Nothing, they just told us to leave. They said you were outside waiting for us. We thought it might be a trap, but when they discovered the bomb they forced us to leave."  
  
Gentle Waves froze and asked urgently, "What bomb?"  
  
Before the Soul could reply the crowd of onlookers once again grew excited. Turning she saw two darkly dressed figures in the open space between the gathered rescuers and the damaged opening to the front of the building. But these two weren't leaving the building; they were racing towards the opening. The taller one ginger haired, the smaller with short dark hair, and Gentle Waves felt a growing certainty in her body.  
  
Seeker Quartz Sharp Webs tried to intercept the two, but the smaller one suddenly kicked out and knocked the Seeker over. The crowd gasped in alarm at the violent action. Gentle Waves dashed over to Quartz Sharp Webs. He was rising to his feet as his two attackers ran into the dark gaping hole.  
  
"She attacked me," said Quartz Sharp Webs in disbelief.  
  
It appeared she had been dealing with a Human after all, not a former coworker. This disturbing reality struck home and Seeker Gentle Waves shuddered at the implications. She weighed her options. The building contained at least one unexploded bomb and an unknown number of dangerous Humans. But these two false Seekers were too important to let go.  
  
She turned to her fellow Seeker. She knew Quartz Sharp Webs and was confident of his identity. Drawing her side arm she told him, "Come with me."

* * *

 

####

* * *

  
"Mia escaped, or they let her go, I'm not sure which," said Marc to Dry Sands and Bright Moon. He was explaining how his people learned of the attack on the Administrative Building. As he talked Healer Long Rivers was examining the man's many wounds. The Healer pressed gently on Marc's right side and Marc hissed in pain.  
  
"Easy Doc, even with the NO PAIN that's still tender," grumbled Marc.  
  
"I'm sorry," said Long Rivers apologetically. "I believe your forth and possibly fifth rib are broken." The Healer looked at his meager medical supplies laid out on table. "I don't have the required medicines. If we transport you to a hospital we can properly heal you."  
  
Marc shook his head and replied in gloomy tone, "There is no sense in you healing me up if a bunch of Seekers are on the way to blow my head off." He took a deep breath and winced again as he exhaled slowly. "I need to go."  
  
Bright Moon who had remained by Marc's side during Long River's examination shifted uncomfortably. She shook her head slowly. "Marc, you can't leave."  
  
Marc's reply was low and sarcastic. "Today has been a real learning opportunity for everyone. I learned garbage trucks make excellent door openers. You learned we Humans figured out how to make ourselves immune to you." He looked Bright Moon over and said plainly, "Let's call it a day and go our separate ways. I have no wish to die here."  
  
"That's not what I meant," replied Bright Moon. A small army of Seekers was on their way, with orders to retake the building and eliminate any Human they found. Bright Moon would be expected to follow such orders. Orders she had no desire to care out. "Please," she continued, "I will explain. I will let the Seekers know you and your people aren't the threat."  
  
Marc smiled sadly at Bright Moon. "It's not going to work," he said. "I might have stopped Adams, but in the end he still won. After everything that happened today do you anyone will want to discuss peace?"  
  
Dry Sands spoke up, "It's not fair. You didn't do anything wrong. You helped save us."  
  
Marc regarded Dry Sands on the Plain. The Soul's body was a young woman with dark hair wrapped into a neat bun. She looked very much like a librarian and as her calling was as an Educator the appearance was fitting. Marc gave her a wry smile and she blushed faintly. "Life's not fair," he said softly.  
  
With a grunt of pain Marc pushed himself up. Long Rivers started in alarm. "Marc, you could have internal bleeding. Please I can…"  
  
"No!" said Marc forcefully. "I can manage on my own."  
  
The other Souls in the Quorum regarded Marc warily, uncertain what to do with wild Human who had saved them. A long stretch of silence grew in the room as Marc gazed over the Souls. He gave them the smallest of smiles. Turning to leave he stopped suddenly and looked up to the ceiling. Then the others heard the sound as well. It was a rhythmical sound steadily growing stronger, the reverberations intensifying directly above the building's roof, a helicopter. The Seeker reinforcements had arrived.

* * *

####

* * *

  
Soul-sick, that was the best word Wanda had to describe how she felt. There was nothing physically wrong with her body. Williams had slammed her painfully into the ground, but she had no lasting injuries. No hurts that weren't quickly cured with a dose of NO PAIN. The pain she felt came from sheer amount of death and destruction she had witnessed.  
  
She and Marc's people where moving quickly down the stairwell of the Administration building. The race was on to escape back to the tunnel system which ran under the building. Ian had told her how Marc's people had banded together and launched their rescue effort. How they had frightened away her people from entering the building. But they knew it wouldn't last and soon the building would be filled with Souls.  
  
Wanda stared down at her feet as they moved. One foot in front of the other, one stair after another, they slowly made their way to freedom. She tried to keep her mind on her feet, if she didn't her mind would quickly begin to wonder. In her mind's eye she would see Agent Kendrick and his cold words justifying whatever sickening surgery he'd been through to allow him to overcome the Soul still in him. Or worse yet she would recall the man named Williams and his terrible gaze. His eyes filled with absolute rage and utter despair over the death of his daughter.  
  
What was even worse was Wanda couldn't fault these Humans. Humans fought back, their instinct to survive so much stronger than the other races her people had encountered. Even though the Souls' only real desire was the desire to help and do good on this world the Human would always resist. And in their desperation to fight back Humans would become twisted and horrifying. 'We're creating monsters,' thought Wanda and she shuddered in despair.  
  
"Don't think about it," said Ian beside her.  
  
Wanda looked up from the ground to Ian's tall form. His head wrapped in a bandage. Suffering a concussion from the blow delivered by one of the Human gunmen. Injured or not, Ian was perceptive as always to how she was feeling. His warm smile helped push away some of her dark despair.  
  
"I can't help it," she replied as they reached the bottom of one flight of stairs and turned in the stairwell to the next set of stairs.  
  
"None of this is your fault," said Ian softly.  
  
Wanda felt tears well up in her eyes. "But so much pain and loss, for every Soul killed the Human host dead as well. None of this would have happen if we'd had not come to this planet."  
  
Ian was quiet for a while, his eyes distant. Nearing the end of the stairs he spoke again. "But you did come and you are here. That's the reality we have to live with." He gestured with a hand to indicate the floors above. "Killing all those people, Human or Soul, isn't going to bring back our world. It just hurts everyone."  
  
Ian sighed and continued with an ironic smile. "Believe it or not Wanderer we did have rules to fighting wars. And pretty much the most import rule was that you didn't deliberately target civilians."  
  
"What about the Seekers?" questioned Wanda. "They are as close to an army as we Souls have."  
  
"Whether or not they deserve to die is a difficult question to answer," said Ian as the trudged down the steps. "I'd like to think no one deserves to die, even if they have done horrible things. But I know it's not that simple, sometimes it's necessary." Ian grew quiet and then said firmly, "I do know killing out of revenge is never good. It will not help anything and only make things worse."  
  
"You are very good man," said Wanda softly as she placed her small delicate hand in his large warm hand.  
  
Ian was pleased and embarrassed by her praise. "Nah, I just hang out with this beautiful little golden-haired Soul which keeps me trying to be a better man."  
  
Now it was Wanda's turn to blush. Only Ian, her partner who could be kind as a Soul but was strong as a Human, could make her feel so wonderful. She felt her earlier misery retreat.  
  
Finally coming to the end of the stairs Ian and Wanda slowed. Melanie and a group of rebels packed in tight at the bottom of the stairwell. Kate Gonzales pressed up against the door to the lobby and carefully opened the door a crack and peered out. Unlike the stairway which was lit by emergency lights the lobby remained dark and forbidding.  
  
"We need to go down the hall and then to the right," explained Kate. "There is a bank of elevators, that's our way out."  
  
Kate took one more look around from their hiding spot and nodded. "Alright," she said in a tight whisper, "Everyone keep in close and be on the lookout."  
  
Pushing the door open Kate led the way out into the shadowy lobby, the others following close behind. Several members of the group turned on small flashlights to illuminate the dark passageway. The short walk took them through the lobby and in the gloom Wanda could see a large garbage truck parked halfway in to the lobby. The front of the truck badly smashed in.  
  
"You really drove that in here?" asked Melanie as she tried to keep the laughter out of her voice.  
  
"Marc did the driving with a wild grin on his face the entire time," answered Ian flatly. "I just held on for dear life."  
  
"He really is nuts," replied Melanie with a chuckle.  
  
Wanda thought about the young man who led the Chicago rebels. "I think he and Jeb would like each other."  
  
"The last thing we should do is get those two together," said Ian with a role of his eyes. "Who knows what type of crazy schemes those two would come up with.  
  
Turning a corner their group came to a bank of elevators in a wide atrium. Wanda was about to ask if anyone had heard from Dell's small team who had left in attempt to rescue Marc when two figures emerged out of the shadows at the far end of atrium. Surprise rapidly rippled through the Humans at the sight of the two black uniformed individuals. The two Seekers, a man and a woman, were equally surprised at meeting the rebels.  
  
Surprise and shock on both sides swiftly turned to the instinctive response. Guns and weapons of all types were quickly pulled out and their owners took aim. The two Seekers were badly outnumbered by the Humans and in this vestibule they had nowhere to retreat. Fear crawled across the face of the male Seeker but the older woman's rough face grew defiant as her lips pulled back into a sneer.  
  
With a growl she said, "You monsters will pay for what you've done!"  
  
Wanda was pushing forward through the mob of Humans. She needed to talk to the two Seekers. There was a real chance they would kill themselves to prevent capture or worse turn their weapons on the Humans and try to destroy as many of their perceived enemy before being killed.  
  
But before she even managed to break free of the crowd two more Seekers appeared behind the first two. The Humans saw the additional reinforcements and tensed for the looming battle when the two new Seekers suddenly grabbed the first set. There was a very brief struggle; a tall red-haired Seeker sprayed a small silvery cloud into the face of the female Seeker while the small Seeker followed suit on the remaining male Seeker.  
  
"What the hell?" asked Melanie in utter confusion and disbelief.  
  
"Most fortuitous timing," said the tall ginger haired Seeker with a gentle smile. "They had cornered us in here and I believe Seeker Gentle Waves was going to resort to violence."  
  
"Yeah she was always a little tightly wound," replied the other Seeker.  
  
Wanda and Melanie stared at the second Seeker, their mouths opened wide in horror. They were both in some type of horrible nightmare, it was the only explanation. The Seeker, their Seeker, the same black uniform, the same small woman with slightly bulging eyes with shine of silver, who had hunted them relentlessly stood before them with a sour look on her face.  
  
"What?" snapped the Seeker.  
  
"You…you," said Melanie in a trembling voice.  
  
The Seeker looked at Wanda and Melanie and then to the other Humans who watched her with guarded expressions. "Oh," she said in sudden understanding. She rubbed at her eyes as she continued speaking, "It's just me and Burns." Pulling on her eye lid she then winced and let out an aggravated groan, "Damn contacts!"  
  
"Lacey?" asked a bewildered Melanie.  
  
"Who else would it be?" grumbled Lacey as she worked on removing a thin plastic contact from one of her eyes.  
  
Beside her Burns smiled warmly at the two women. "Wanderer, Melanie, I am so glad you are safe and unharmed."  
  
"Umm, yes, ahh, it's good to see you too Burns," said Wanda as she tried to find her voice.  
  
Lacey looked up again at the small crowd of Humans, her one eye with a faint silver reflection from the flashlights, the other normal. "Could we please get the hell out of here?"

* * *

####

* * *

  
The sound of marching feet grew in the stairwell. Then with a bang the door opened and Seekers poured in to the hallway. Bright Moon stood with the other surviving members of the Quorum in the passageway as the Seekers approached them. These Seekers were not dressed in the normal black uniforms of Seekers. Instead they wore dark gray heavy combat armor. Each Seeker carried large weapons, automatic rifles and shotguns, far more than Seekers would normally carry. Their heads and faces covered by additional dark gray riot gear.  
  
The lead Seeker drew to a stop before the Quorum and flipped up the visor on his helmet. "I am Seeker Smoke Weaver, where is Seeker Skyward Into the Night?"  
  
"Umm," began Comforter Benjamin as he stared hesitantly at the newly arrived Seekers. "I'm sorry Seeker Skyward Into the Night is dead."  
  
Smoke Weaver nodded, a bit sadly, but he seemed to expect the news. "How many are dead?"  
  
"Unfortunately many Seekers are dead," said Healer Long River with a sad and solemn expression on his face.  
  
"The Human insurgents have been driven off?" asked another Seeker next to Smoke Weaver.  
  
The Souls of the Quorum looked to each other, then to Bright Moon, and then back to the Seekers. Benjamin licked his lips and said hesitantly, "Seeker, I'm not sure what you've been told. This situation is very complex. More than one faction of Humans was present in the building. One side…held us hostage. The other side…err…rescued us."  
  
"Marc saved us," said Educator Dry Sands on the Plain. There was an unusual amount of defiance in the young woman's voice as she spoke to the Seekers.  
  
For a moment Seeker Smoke Weaver's face was impassive and unmoving. Then with a flicker of concern in his face he turned to the other Seekers. "We will need to bring Comforters and Healers in quickly. These Souls are badly traumatized."  
  
Bright Moon began to feel a sinking feeling in her stomach. After all today's destruction and tragedies no one wanted to listen to the truth. It was far easier to just assume all the Humans were responsible. There was no difference to Humans; they were all violent monsters which needed to be eradicated.  
  
Healer Long Rivers shook his head and began to explain how Adams, in the guise of Seeker Twice Fires, had deceived Seeker Skyward Into the Night. Smoke Weaver grew confused and then into outright disbelief. He ordered Comforter Benjamin to again explain the events of tonight.  
  
Beside her Vermilion shook and trembled. Bright Moon looked at the woman. Normally her face a flushed rosy color but now it was pale and white. She had been traumatized by the events of tonight and Bright Moon felt for the poor Soul. She reached out and took Vermillion's hand trying to comforter her, Vermillion squeezed Bright Moon's hand and her shuddering lessened. As she watched the distressed woman she realized Vermillion was upset by the Seekers. Their armor, weapons, and number made them very imposing.  
  
"It's alright," she whispered to the trembling woman.  
  
"What's the difference?" came Vermillion's shaky response.  
  
"What?" asked Bright Moon.  
  
"Humans with guns and black armor came to kill us. Now Seekers with guns and black armor come to kill Humans," said the Soul with her voice cracking. "What's the difference anymore?"  
  
For a long moment Bright Moon stood unable to move, the discussions around her fading away, Vermillion's question the only thing burning through her mind. She looked to the armor clad Seekers and then to the Souls around her and saw a very difficult truth. Souls decried Humanity's violence and saw them as unworthy savages. But what were Seekers if they causally dismissed the words of their fellow Souls and resorted to the same brutal methods the Humans used? A deep sadness filled Bright Moon as she stood watching the Seekers.  
  
Seeker Smoke Weaver's words brought her out of her reverie. "Another team of Seekers is inbound. We'll secure this floor and once they are here we'll sweep through the remaining floors of this building." He glanced between Comforter Benjamin and Healer Long Rivers and continued, "Events seemed to completely unraveled in this building. I am not inclined to take any Human into custody." The Seeker's face grew grave. "If Humans have found a way to protect themselves from insertion we will not be able to learn anything from them and their threat must be ended."  
  
Bright Moon felt a stab of fear for Marc and the other Humans still in the building. Marc had been right. His people were now in more danger than ever. She had to find Marc, help him and his people get out of the building. She took a deep breath and did something she had never done before. She lied to another Soul. "I am Seeker Bright Moon on Fallen Snow, I know this building well. I will help you secure this floor."

* * *

####

* * *

  
Marc limped along the hallway, aiming for the stairway to take him down to the lower floors. He didn't have much time as the droning sound of the helicopter was already fading. The Seekers had landed on the roof and who knew how many were coming. He needed to get to the others and warn them. Marc and his people would need to run as fast they could.  
  
Wheezing as he rounded a corner Marc nearly tripped over a body. He looked down and had to force down rising nausea at the sight of the bullet ridden body. A quick look around and he saw more bodies. Adams and his crew had done a very effective job of eliminating the Seekers in the building.  
  
 _"We're the Human resistance,"_ Adams had said. Well they certainly were resistant considered Marc. Far more than anyone else he knew. From the Seekers files they had learned of small, isolated, groups of Humans scattered around the globe. The very few, like the Guerrillas in the Colombian jungle or the Afghanistan tribes hiding in the Kush mountain range, who might represent some type of threat were effectively boxed in by the Seekers. So who was this mystery group? Military would be a safe bet. But how? He didn't know all the details to the Soul invasion of Earth, but he did know the armies of various countries were some of the first taken over. Had someone in the authority figured out what was happening and went into hiding? Then the mystery group spent years studying the invaders and planning on a way to strike back.  
  
'And I screwed up their plans,' though Marc with resigned sigh. In his defense he hadn't known. How could he? The medicine brought to this world by the Souls nearly was magical in its ability to heal. The idea that little primitive Humans could create a disease able to beat such medicine was laughable, or the more remarkable miracle of Adams's invulnerability to the Souls. But he did realize a simple truth, pushed back against a wall Humans either got desperate and panicked or got resourceful and determined.  
  
Yet he couldn't bring himself to cheer on Humanity's would be saviors. They killed Tim and had framed the Seekers in effort to have Marc and his people destroy themselves. There was something dark and twisted about these people who struck from the shadows. Adams had also said, _"We will become nightmares."_ Were these the only choices left to people now? Either become an unwilling host for silver alien worms or become a twisted blacked eyed psychopath.  
  
Marc's side ached badly. The NO PAIN was wearing off. Long Rivers was right; he was beat to hell and back. But if he could reach Simon he knew the man would be able to heal him. He leaned against wall for a moment to catch his breath. He couldn't stay long, he needed to keep moving. With a weary sigh he pushed off the wall. And then a hand grabbed his arm.  
  
Marc spun around and came face to face with Bright Moon on Fallen Snow. He exhaled sharply and made himself relax. "Damn it, don't do that, scared the hell out of me!"  
  
"Ssshhhh," whisper Bright Moon as she pressed a finger to her mouth.  
  
Marc looked at her sharply and then replied whisper of his own. "What's wrong?"  
  
"Seekers," she replied simply.  
  
Marc froze and looked at her sharply. He hadn't heard anything in the corridor. "They're here already?" he asked with voice tight with worry.  
  
"Yes, but they are looking in the wrong side of building. I assumed you would go for the stairs so I sent them to down the wrong hallway. We don't have much time before they realize they aren't heading to secure the stairs. Others are busy looking in empty meeting rooms for hidden rebels." She explained all this matter-of-factually while Marc stared at her with his jaw on the floor.  
  
She saw his expression and asked, "What?"  
  
Marc pulled his jaw up with a snap and said in a slow careful tone. "You either are lying to me or you're lying to the Seekers…Other Souls…Your own people. Past history dictates if a Seeker is lying, they are lying to a Human."  
  
"Oh, you stubborn Human," said Bright Moon through clenched teeth. "I'm trying to help you and your crazy people escape."  
  
Marc studied her for one quick second. Bright Moon's face was a mix of worry and fear but her blue eyes with their bright silver rings showed a much more complex mix of emotions. Anxiety and stress, but also relief and delight at seeing him. He spent another quick second coming to the decision to trust her. He shrugged and managed a faint grin. "Well, why didn't you say so?"  
  
With an exasperated sigh she held out her hand. He took it without a second thought. With pain slowly crawling back into his body Marc had to lean on Bright Moon for support. Her own injury made this difficult and they ended up slowly moving forward, both leaning on each other for support.  
  
"Won't you get into trouble when the other Seekers find out you gave them bad directions?" question Marc.  
  
"Well…" Bright Moon huffed and then continued, "I did get hit on the head pretty hard. I'll just say I wasn't thinking straight."  
  
"Lying and jokes," said Marc as they stopped and pulled open the door to the stairs. He looked down and smiled rather affectionately at her. "Bright Moon, I do think I'm a bad influence on you."  
  
She looked back at him and the mildest of smiles formed on her face. "Yes wild Human Marc Walters you most certainly are."  
  
Crossing into the stairwell they started making their way down. They had gone down a set of stairs in silence when Marc asked softly, "Bright Moon, why did he do it?"  
  
"Who do what?" asked Bright Moon.  
  
Marc made one word reply, "Skyward." After a long pause he elaborated. "When Adams was going to shoot me he jumped in the way of the bullet. He saved my life."  
  
He watched as Bright Moon thought about the Seeker's sacrifice. Marc was still trying to digest all that had happened today but he knew this one event would stay with him long after everything else faded. "I'm not sure," she answered in a soft tone.  
  
"I mean, he hated me. Why would he save me?" asked Marc still troubled by the Skywards's sacrifice.  
  
Bright Moon was silent again for long seconds as they descended another flight of stairs. She finally answered, "I don't think he hated you, not really."  
  
Marc bit back a laugh, "Could have fooled me."  
  
Shrugging slightly Bright Moon said with a distant look on her face, "I'm not sure, but I think he was afraid of you. Afraid of what you represented."  
  
Marc stopped them on the stairs and asked her directly. "What do I represent?"  
  
"Change," said Bright Moon. She looked down at the stairs they stood upon and then looked back up to Marc. "If you are not what we thought Humans to be…If we were wrong about who and what makes up Humanity." Bright Moon shook her head sadly. "I've seen a lot of evidence tonight of Humanity being horrible monsters but also proof that you are kind and brave. I still don't know what to make of all of it. But I know whatever the answer is it represent a great deal of change for my people."  
  
Marc stood staring back at Bright Moon, uncertain on how to respond. Before either of them could say anything else the sounds of feet quickly racing up the stairs reached them. They both froze as the sounds grew louder and began to echo in the staircase.  
  
"Nearly there," came a voice from down below.  
  
"Keep your voice down, we don't know who's up there," said another voice. This voice was strained and breathing hard.  
  
Bright Moon stiffened with concern and fear of the approaching voices. But Marc relaxed and wide grin grew on his face. He leaned back and said, "Dell you sound winded. You're growing soft on me."  
  
"Marc is that you?" said an incredulous voice from the stairs below.  
  
"Yours truly," replied Marc as Dell, Scott, and Simon puffed their way on to the same set of stairs. The three men gaped at Marc and Bright Moon.  
  
"What the hell happened to you!?" exclaimed Simon as he took in Marc's battered and bruised appearance.  
  
"Adams and I had words," said Marc evenly. Then he chuffed and added, "Then we stopped having words and we just beat the hell out of each other."  
  
Scott looked between Marc and Bright Moon, his eyes focusing distrustfully on the Seeker. He held a flash light up and pointed it at Marc face to check his eyes.  
  
"Get that damn thing out of my face," snapped Marc.  
  
"Well you are with her," grumbled Scott as he pointed to the Seeker. But he dropped the flashlight from Marc's face when he saw his friend was still himself.  
  
Bright Moon spoke up softly, "Marc, you and the others most go quickly. The other Seekers will be here soon."  
  
"Other Seekers?" asked the three new comers at the same time and with the same worried looks on their faces.  
  
Marc nodded gravely. "Yeah, long story short we've got an army of Seekers coming in from above. We need to get everyone out of here."  
  
Dell smiled and pulled a small walkie-talkie from his belt. "Already done, Jason and the others are in the tunnels"  
  
"Cool," said Marc with a smile of his own, "And Melanie and Wanda?"  
  
"Got them too, safe and sound" said Dell. The big man regarded Bright Moon impassively and spoke to the Seeker. "Just so you know one of you guys, Seeker Night Ember Lights, is down on the lower levels. He's been shot but he'll make it. He's on a bunch of NO PAIN so he's doing fine."  
  
"Thank you," replied Bright Moon. She looked back to the upper floors and added, "Marc you must go."  
  
Marc gave Bright Moon a reassuring smile and pulled himself from her and made his way over to his friends. He smiled again at her and said, "Well Bri, seems like I'm always running off when your friends are showing up."  
  
"I really don't like that name," said the Seeker with a scowl.  
  
"I know," said Marc as he and the others began to descend the stairs. "See ya around Bright Moon on Fallen Snow."


	24. Alliance

"Scott, remember this?" asked Marc as he pulled an old mason brick out of an equally old shoe box. Scott eyed the brick uncertainly but then after a moment smiled widely. Marc handed the old block to Scott and his friend turned it over in his hand.

From the nearby bed where she sat packing Melanie looked curiously at the object. "What is it?" she asked.

"This," said Scott indicated the brick "is from the first wall we tore down in the underground tunnels when we originally moved in." He looked back to his friend. "And you've kept it all this time?"

Marc shrugged. "I can occasionally be sentimental." He turned back Melanie and said, "I dug it out because it feels like an end to an era. We've hung on in this city far longer than anyone though possible. "

"You may be able to return one day," said Wanda in soft reply as she helped sort and fold clothing.

Marc's eyes were far away and he said half-heartily, "Yeah maybe."

Marc, Scott, Melanie, and Wanda sat in Marc's small bedroom sorting and packing. In the rooms beyond all the other Chicago rebels were doing the same thing. For them it was becoming a regular exercise. A month earlier they had packed up their meager belongings and left the safety of their underground sanctuary to escape the Seekers. Now they were once again getting ready to run. This time they had no fallback position. This time they really would be leaving the city.

Even worse they wouldn't all be running together. Neither Nate's nor Jeb's hideouts individually had enough room to absorb nearly thirty refugees. Instead the Humans from Chicago would split themselves up into two groups, one to Jeb's caves in Arizona and the other to Nate's hidden base in the mountains of Colorado. And it would be a difficult journey across many miles of territory very dangerous to Humans.

This weighed heavily upon Marc's mind. He hated the idea of leaving the city and splitting up their little family. But they had little choice now. The mass of Seekers sent into the city were already tearing through the underground tunnels and now beginning to hunt through other locations around the city for Marc's people. With the Seekers ordered to shoot any Human on sight it was clear most Souls had abandoned any effort to reach peace with what remained of Humanity.

Wanda gave Marc a tired smile. It was hard to tell which one of them was more disappointed. Wanda had been quiet and distant since their return from the Souls' Administration building. She had come to Chicago with hopes to help Soul and Human find a common ground and peace. Instead she had faced an onslaught of terror. Considering she was a Soul which aspired for peace and tranquility in all things Marc thought she had holding up remarkably well.

There came a soft knock on the bedroom door interrupting Marc's depressed thoughts. Marc stood up and carefully move around Scott and Wanda as the two worked to sort through several piles of his clothing, books, and equipment. Opening the door he found Dashing Songs standing in the hallway.

Marc immediately asked, "What's wrong?" Normally the Soul wouldn't be here unless there was a problem.

"Marc," said the blind Soul, "there are guests in the lobby who are looking for you."

"Umm," began Scott with a nervous look forming quickly on his face, "Dashing Songs, nobody is supposed to know we're here."

Dashing Songs turned towards Scott's voice and replied with a soft smile, "Of course, but it's the young lady Marc brought by a few days ago."

Scott shot Marc a withering glare while Melanie and Wanda developed confused looks at Dashing Songs answer. While Dashing Songs couldn't see any of their expressions he uncannily guessed the mood without anyone saying another word. His gentle voice added, "I don't believe they mean you any harm."

Skeptical Scott said with unusual heat in his voice, "I told you it was a stupid idea to bring her here."

Looking a little chagrined Marc said, "Relax, she let us go yesterday. She's not going to hurt us."

"I'm sorry," interrupted Wanda, "Who are we talking about? Who is here?"

"Seeker Bright Moon on Fallen Snow," said Scott with an irritated sighed. Wanda and Melanie exchanged worried looks. Scott rose to face Marc and his anger did as well, "Marc even if you trust her, a lot of us aren't convinced. She could have been followed. For all we know the entire hotel is surrounded."

"Mr. Alderman," began Dashing Songs plainly but his voice developed an edge of authority as he spoke, "I know the sounds of my hotel. I know the sounds of the streets around my hotel. I assure you nothing is wrong."

Scott's irritation twisted to into sad resignation. "For now," he said as he looked out into the hallway were the others were still packing. "Sooner or later a bunch of very unfriendly Seekers with guns will be showing up.

"That day may come," replied the Soul with an unhappy look on his calm face. "But for now you are safe."

"I'll deal with this," said Marc as he made his way into the narrow hallway of the third floor of the Hotel Rose.

Scott rolled his eyes. "I'm sure you will," he replied sarcastically. Marc just ignored the jab from his friend.

Dashing Songs turned and followed after Marc. Their interest piqued Melanie and Wanda stopped packing and trailed after the two men. Although blind, Dashing Songs navigated the hallways with little trouble and Melanie and Wanda had to hurry to catch up. As Marc made his way to the stairway he noticed he was being followed. He stopped at the top of the stairs leading to the second floor and let all three catch up before descending.

As they made their way down Dashing Songs said, "The lobby, of course, is clear."

"Thanks," said Marc absently, he seemed lost in his own thoughts. They exited to the second floor and moved slowly through the hallway which for all appearances was under heavy construction. Several of the rooms they passed were stripped down to the original brick walls and subfloor. Turning a corner Marc stop and with a wistful smile said, "I need to apologize to the three of you." Casting a meaningful look to Wanda he added, "Especially you Wanda."

"You don't…" began Wanda but Marc strongly shook his head.

"I do," argued Marc. "You tried to talk me out of striking back. In my anger I threw you and the others out. If I hadn't, you and Melanie wouldn't have gotten captured by the Seekers and nearly killed by a bunch of armed nutcases."

"Thank you, Marc," replied Wanda with a forgiving smile, "If you and the others hadn't faced Adams and his people there would've been many more Souls killed."

"Don't beat yourself up to much," said Melanie. The brunet woman gave Marc a sad smile and added, "I know how I would feel if it was Jamie."

"Still," said Marc with a heavy sigh, "I screwed up. After we found Tim…I wanted to blame you. I wanted to blame all the Souls for everything wrong. It was easy and it felt right. In my rage I would have destroyed any possible future for my little family and pretty much every other Human left." He turned to Dashing Songs. "You took us in when we had nowhere else to go. I would have thrown your friendship and kindness away if I'd carried out my original plans."

Dashing Songs reached out and lightly patted Marc on his arm. Even with his blind eyes the old Soul look directly into Marc's eyes. "It is alright my boy. I do share your grief for young Tim." His voice grew rough with emotion, "I will soon mourn him properly, until the silence becomes too great for me to bear."

Marc was silent for a moment, deeply moved by the Soul's words. He had to clear his throat before answering with quiet thanks. Dashing Songs then smiled and said with faint mocking in his voice, "And I do forgive your mistakes. After all, you're only human."

"Oh ha ha," replied Marc with a groan. Wanda and Dashing Songs laughed lightly while Melanie gave an exasperated shake of her head.

They continued through the second floor, carefully weaving around areas under heavy construction, assorted tools, and fresh building supplies. Much of the building materials were stacked in the hallways, made the narrow corridors barely passable. At first look, or even a second, a visitor would only see a floor under heavy construction, not the carefully designed barricades keeping unwanted guests out.

Passing the entrance to the second floor, full of signs warning of danger from construction and instructions to use the elevator instead of the stairs they came to the steps leading to the lobby. Taking a deep breath and letting it out Marc motioned for Wanda and Melanie to wait and stay behind. Then he and Dashing Songs continued on into the lobby.

Marc hadn't asked who was with Bright Moon but as he turned into the hotel's front hall and saw the four Souls waiting for him he wasn't surprised. Bright Moon on Fallen Snow stood with Seeker Night Ember Lights, Healer Long Rivers, and Educator Dry Sands on the Plain. The latter three looked around the lobby with blank stares of confusion while Bright Moon remained still with her hands on her hips. When they saw Marc walk into the lobby their confusion gave way to outright surprise. But Bright Moon had a small but triumphant grin appear on her face

Resting his gaze on Bright Moon, Marc told the Seeker, "I thought I was the one who did the sly smiles."

Bright Moon gave a small huff and shook her head seriously. "No wonder we never found you in the tunnels," she said as she gestured around the hotel lobby. "You were here the entire time." She looked back to Marc, her expression hard to read. "You even showed me the hotel and I didn't realize." She paused and then added, "Marc, you took a big risk bringing me here."

Marc made the smallest of shrugs. "I had a hunch and I went with it." Then with a growing grin he added, "I wanted to see if you would figure it out."

Bright Moon smile slowly reappeared. "And I did. But I should have guessed sooner at your deception." With light amusement in her voice she added, "I'm getting sloppy."

Folding his arms Marc replied, "Hey now, I never said we were still hiding in the tunnels. You just assumed we were." He glanced to the other three Souls who had gotten over their surprise at the Humans' hidden refuge. Dry Sands and Night Ember Lights offered up hesitant but friendly smiles. Long Rivers also smiled but Marc could see the Healer's grave face.

"I'm guessing," said Marc with a sigh, "this isn't a social visit." He gave a faint nod with his head to indicate the rest of his people. "We'll be getting out of here soon. You'll understand if we don't leave a forwarding address."

The four visiting Souls exchanged looks. Trepidation and uncertainty mixed with anticipation and promise among the Souls. This small group of Souls who had helped the Humans escape last night apparently had something urgent they wanted to discuss. "We…" began Bright Moon but then stopped and looked over to Long Rivers, apparently deferring to the Quorum member.

Long Rivers nodded. The Healer's face remained somber, but Marc could see a look of hopefulness in his eyes. "Marc," he began, "we have a proposal for you and your people."

* * *

####

* * *

In her small room Mia sat on her bed reading her only book. She knew she should help with packing and preparing to leave but she didn't feel very motivated to start. She didn't really have much of her own to pack. A few clothes, a knife Brother Marc let her keep, and her book – _The Little Prince_. It had belonged to Sister Mary-Margret but the old nun had given the book to Mia when she first came to live in the tunnels.

The worn book with its faded words wasn't much to read, but at the time Mia couldn't remember how words even worked. Everything was such a jumble in her mind she couldn't make sense of the letters. Instead Mia had spent hours looking at the simple water-color pictures. For some odd reason it made her happy. Now Mia turned the pages in the book and tried to recreate the small joy of looking at the simple drawings. It wasn't working very well.

"Mia," called Kate from the hallway, "you in there?"

Mia jumped off her bed and opened the door. Kate was standing with Scott in the hallway. She could feel a crooked smile forming on her lips and said, "Mia is here. Brother Scott, Sister Kate, what's up?"

Scott sighed and said, "Mia we need to talk to you. About everything that happened yesterday…" He mumbled the last word.

Mia felt her smile drop and in a tired voice she answered. "Fine, but I told you everything I remember already."

In an unusually soft voice Kate replied, "I know you did Mia. But we need you tell…" She stopped and drifted off. Then with a sigh of her own she said, "Mia, we need you tell some Souls about what happened. About everything you know."

The question, "More Bright Eyes?" came out of her mouth as an irritated groan.

Scott looked at her sharply and responded in a tight voice, "Mia this is really important. Can you behave yourself while you talk to them?"

"Of course Mia will behave," snapped Mia as she poked Scott with her finger. "I'm always well-behaved." Her smile returned when Scott rolled his eyes and blew out a frustrated breath at her answer.

Kate just shook her head with a bemused smile and said, "Sure you are Mia, but let me see your pockets. No knives."

Mia pulled the insides of her pocket out from her pants showing she held nothing dangerous. She beamed at her adoptive brother and sister. "See? Sister Kate, it's all good."

"Com'on then," said Scott. "Everybody will be there by now and waiting."

Walking along the hallway they didn't have to go far before Mia began to feel a faint tickling in the back of her neck. She knew the feeling would grow stronger the closer she came to the aliens. As they rounded a corner the feeling grew from a light tickle on her neck to a prickly sensation running down her spine. Mia shuddered at the sensation and grumbled, "Must be a bunch of them."

"It will be okay Mia. They won't hurt anyone," said Kate absently, not realizing why Mia had shivered. The young woman then added darkly, "She'd better not be trying anything."

Mia wondered who Kate was talking about when she heard voices coming from the dining room. Up ahead she could see many of her little family clustering into the small space. A hum of people talking to each other and over each other spilled into the hallway. She heard Dell's voice raise above the commotion. "You guys are going to turn the city inside out looking for any Humans. From what you've told us the Seekers don't believe a word your Quorum says. Can you really protect us from your own kind?" A mix of voices, some agreeing with Dell and others disputing, rose up and quickly turned into uproar.

Scott and Kate pressed into the crowd making way for Mia to turn into the dining room. She saw the tall form and red hair of Burns Living Flowers standing near the table. Burns caught sight of her and smiled fondly at her. Mia felt herself return the smile with one of her own. Nearby she saw the smaller form of Bright Eyes Wanda standing near two people she didn't recognize. One was a young woman with dark hair tied into a tight bun. She looked nervous as she eyed the gathering of people around her. The other was an older man with a dark beard with just a hint of gray forming on his whiskers. He had a very serious look on his face. Not angry, but certainly not happy.

"Hey," came Marc's voice, trying to penetrate the arguments going through the room. Pressing against the wall Mia managed to see Marc's brown spiky hair. He was sitting at the table across from the breaded man. When the quarreling didn't stop Marc raised his voice to a shout. "Shut up idiots! It's Long Rivers's turn to speak."

The noise died down to a manageable level. Marc said in a softer voice to the bearded man, "Not quite like the Quorum, huh?"

"No," came Long Rivers's strangled reply as he looked around the room. He sighed and continued in more tranquil voice. "I understand the risks you would face. But you would face them whether you remained here or left the city. If you remain we will be in a better position to help you."

Mia moved forward to the dining room table. She heard Scott telling her to stay put, but she ignored him. With her small size it was easier for her to slip through the crowd while Scott's larger size held him back. Pulling herself up to Marc she could see who else sat at the table. Next to Long Rivers sat two people dressed in black clothing. She didn't recognize the young man but she most certainly knew the blond-haired woman.

"What is she doing here!?" demanded Mia as she glared at Bright Moon on Fallen Snow. Around her the many conversations ground to a halt. For her part Bright Moon flinched when she saw Mia standing next to Marc.

Softly Marc said, "Mia, it's alright. Bright Moon isn't here to cause us problems." But Mia heard a whispered angry muttering around the room. At least some of gathered Humans didn't agree with Marc's opinion. Bright Moon didn't respond and looked away as Mia continued to glare at the Seeker.

Marc appeared to ignore the upset murmurs and loudly cleared his throat. He turned to her and said, "Mia, Healer Long Rivers and the others are here because they don't want to give up on finding a way for us to live together in peace. Even though most Souls think we're responsible for the attacks yesterday there are some who realize we didn't do it." He looked at the Souls at the table,"They're kinda going against their own people, its risky for them but they're offering to help hide us and keep us safe while we figure out how such a peace would work."

"We get to stay?" asked Mia as she stared wide-eyed at Long Rivers and the other Souls.

With a small smile playing at the corner of Long Rivers's mouth the Healer said, "I am glad to meet you Mia. Yes, I would like for you to stay."

Mia saw Scott make his way to the head of the table. He remained standing as he glanced between the gathered Souls and Mia. "But," said Scott, "they also want to stop the people behind the actual attacks. They want our help in figuring out who they are and where they come from. That's where you come in."

Mia looked at the Souls sitting at the table. She shrugged and looked back at Scott. "I told you everything I remember. It was Williams who said he remembered Mia. I don't remember. He said Mia was in the…" she paused to remember the word Adams and others had used. "He said I was in the Facility. He said the word 'Facility' like it was important."

"You don't remember being in this 'Facility'?" asked Long Rivers.

"I…I don't know," said Mia in a small voice. "Some things Mia remembers good, other things not so well."

Long Rivers looked at her oddly and Mia felt herself bristle at the Healers gaze. "I'm not lying! I really don't remember."

"I'm sorry," said Long Rivers automatically. "I didn't mean to upset you."

Feeling her face flush in embarrassment from her outburst Mia folded her arms and looked down at the old carpeted floor of the hotel. After a long pause Mia heard Burns softly speak up. "Mia, when we found you in the tunnels you said I made your skin itch. Today I talked to Simon and Scott and they say you've said similar things before. No one had made much of your comments before, but after everything we've learned…" Burns paused before continuing. "Do we Souls actually cause you pain when we are near?"

Mia felt the eyes of everyone in the room on her. Suddenly she felt very small and alone. She swallowed nervously and said, "It's not really painful…not exactly. It feels like little ants running around under my skin. It's irritating." She wavered and then said in a rush, "Mia used to think everybody felt that way when they were around you Bright Eyes. Mia couldn't see how anyone could stand it. Then I began to realize only I could feel it…"

She heard Simon speak up and she realized the doctor was standing behind her. "Normally I would think it was something psychosomatic. Some type of suppressed trauma. But now I'm rethinking my diagnosis."

"Remarkable," said Healer Long Rivers as he stared intently at Mia. "How close do you need to be for you feel the effect?"

Mia didn't answer right away. When finally she did she turned to Bright Moon and said, "Remember when you got Brother Marc in the tunnels and your cut him open?"

Both Marc and Bright Moon shifted uncomfortably at Mia's question. Then the Seeker sighed and answered, "Yes Mia, I remember."

"Wonder how I found you so fast? Wonder how I could see when I cut the power to the lights?" asked Mia with a wide grin on her face. She looked pointedly at each Soul in the room. "Mia didn't need to see…Mia could feel you. Like I felt all of you before I walked into this room."

The room was utterly silent. Everyone stared at her in dumbfounded amazement. Mia's grin rapidly turned to a sad frown. She hated how both Human and Soul stared at her. Tears began to form in the corners of her eyes. "I'm a freak," she spat out angrily.

"You are not a freak," said Marc firmly. He put his arm around her and she began to cry softly. Again Marc said, "Mia, you are not a freak. You're a little girl who had something horrible done to you. None of this is your fault."

Marc continued to hold her and Mia began to cry in earnest. Around her soft whispers started from her little family, offering encouragement and support. Feeling like she had just run for miles in the tunnels she slumped against Marc. The tall man stood up and put her in his chair. Mia dried her eyes and looked back at the Souls. Surprised she saw Burns and Wanda wiping away tears from their faces as well.

"Now let's get one thing straight," said Marc as he turned back to the Souls on the other side of the tunnel. "If we agree to your plan, Mia is not a lab rat. She doesn't do anything she isn't comfortable with. You don't do any type of test unless she says it's okay. Got it?"

"Yes, of course," replied Long Rivers in a rough voice. He continued to stare at Mia, his silver ringed eyes blinking back his own tears.

From one corner of the room Dell spoke, unlike before his voice was low and soft. "Well then it comes down to whether we help the Souls go after our own kind or not. We all need to figure out where we stand."

"I understand," said Long Rivers, "Your people face a difficult decision. You're caught between us and members of your own race, both sides wanting your destruction. Adams's people have shown themselves to be powerful and ruthless." The Healer looked down at his hands, studying them closely before continuing, "You have twice disrupted their plans but you are conflicted…they are a force trying to retake your world. It's only natural you would want them to succeed."

Mia watched as Marc looked over the gathered Souls. He rested his gaze on Dashing Songs, the kindly blind Soul who had sheltered his people. He shook his head and said, "It's not that simple."

Wanda who had been silent for the entire meeting but had watched intently now spoke up. "With Humans it never is." She smiled at Marc and the others. "You and your world are deceptively complex." She paused in thought and then indicated the Souls around the table. "Perhaps we should give you some space to discuss and debate. You should be free to consider your plans without …being distracted."

"Yes, that is an excellent idea," replied Dry Sands. The other Souls nodded in agreement and began to rise out of their seats. Ian who had sat behind Wanda also rose.

When Wanda saw Ian standing she shook her head and said, "Ian you should stay. This is something all of you must decide."

Ian shook his head and spoke but far too softly for Mia or anyone other than Wanda to hear. She gave him a pleading look and answered in low husky whisper, "Ian, please…"

"No Wanderer," said Ian in a loud and firm voice. The other Souls working to exit the room stopped and looked back at the pale dark-eyed Human. "I already know where I stand. I stand with you." Wanda faintly blushed at Ian's statement. Ian continued as he now spoke everyone in the room. "Look, I've only know most of you for a few days. I can't even begin to guess how you're feeling about everything that's happen."

In the cramp space of the dining room Ian turned to face Marc and the other Chicago rebels, "But you and your people have repeatedly made the right choice, the humane choice. When the plague came you put your aside your hate and helped your enemy. When Melanie and Wanda were held captive you risked everything to save them. Two people you barely knew."

Ian's voice now grew hard and angry. "Compared to Adams's people who had no problem releasing the plague on this city when they knew you here. Did they try to reach out to you and warn you? No. And in retribution for stopping their disease they tried to destroy you." He turned and pointed to Mia and his voice lost the cold rage. "They have no problem using Mia as an experiment. They had no problem killing Tim. These people are monsters. They represent everything that has ever gone wrong with Humanity."

Making his way to Wanda he took her hand in his. For a long moment the two stared at each other wordlessly. Finally Ian said to the rest of his people, "I know how hard it is to put aside everything the Souls did. For everything and everyone who's been taken. But we have to try to make a future that's not built on blood and destruction." Ian finished by pointing to himself and then to the crowd. "I know where I stand and I think you know where to stand as well."

* * *

####

* * *

"No, Night Ember Lights, the construction on the second floor is not a ruse," said Dashing Songs in reply to the young Seekers question. "The Hotel Rose is old and needs many repairs. Marc's people have worked to fix and refurbish the entire level, fair trade for room and board."

"No one has found them out?" asked Dry Sands.

The blind Soul smiled ruefully. "Marc pointed out to me that we Souls tend to believe what we're told. We don't often question our assumptions. If the signs say the second through fourth floors are closed for repairs and renovation, why would anyone trespass? If I tell my guests there is a construction crew hard at work, no one will think twice about any noise they hear coming from the closed floors."

"You just don't mention _who_ is doing the work," said Burns with a small smile.

"Exactly," replied Dashing Songs but then his smile faded. "I have never been comfortable with deception. But Marc is correct; few of the hotel guests have questioned me on the construction."

"Hiding in plain sight, I'm not sure if this is genius or insanity," said Long Rivers as he looked about the Humans' home.

"It's a bit of both," said Ian with gentle smile.

Next to Ian, Wanda's own smile grew on her face. "It's like Jeb says, inspiration in desperation."

Bright Moon stood to aside and watched the six Souls and one Human talk among themselves while they all waited for Marc and the others to make their choice. She found herself repeatedly staring at both Wanda and Ian. Ian had his arm encircling the small Soul woman and Wanda snuggled into the crook of his arm. They both looked extremely happy with each other and Ian seemed perfectly at easy surrounded by beings which should be his enemy. She wondered how the couple had come together.

Interrupting her contemplations was the voice of Melanie Stryder. She turned to see the tall brunet walking down the hallway. When she saw Bright Moon she hastened her pace to a quick trout. Reaching their little group, Melanie blew out a breath and said, "There you guys are. I think we've about reached a decision."

"What's been going on?" asked Ian. "Just a little while ago it sounded like someone was beating pots and pans together."

Melanie grinned at Ian's question. "Let's just say it's been a very spirited debate."

With trepidation in her voice Dry Sands enquired, "What is your decision? What will you do?"

"Well that's why I'm here," replied Melanie. Looking over the Souls she continued, "We're leaning to accept your proposal, but we have two conditions."

"What are you conditions?" asked Long Rivers.

"First, they want you to turn over all the information you learn about Adams. How he became immune to insertion." Melanie saw the rising horror on all the Soul's faces and she quickly put up her hands in a pleading gesture. "Not as a weapon. They don't want to use it against you, just for their protection."

With a pained look on Long River's face he shook his head and said, "But why? Marc and his people already know how to remove us. That information in itself should be all the protection they need."

Melanie sighed and turned to Wanda. "I'm hoping you can explain it to the others in a way they can understand." She indicated the gathered Souls with a wave of her hand and said, "Wanda, of everyone here you would best to understand our point of view. To explain just how frightening being taken over is for Humans."

Wanda looked between her Melanie, Ian, and then her own people. For long seconds her small face clouded with indecision, desire to help her Human friends but also protect her people. Finally with a sigh she said to the others, "When I was first held captive with Melanie's people they were freighted. Yes many of them though I was a Seeker or I was trap to lead the Seekers to them. But they were also frightened of _me_."

Leaning forward Wanda continued, "And I couldn't understand why. I was one and they were many. Violence of any type wasn't in my nature. They could easily kill me. How could I be a threat to them?" She pressed her small hand to her body. "But I began to realize it wasn't truly me they were afraid of, it was what I represented. Being taken over is a terrifying prospect to the Humans. To them a fate worse than death, something I don't think we Souls fully appreciate."

"See," interjected Melanie, "if insertion is taken off the table it would go a long way in helping Humans lose their fear of the Souls."

Long Rivers remained still for a long time. His eyes half closed in deep consideration. After a while the Healer stirred and rubbed his head in effort to clear a growing headache. "The Seekers confiscated his body. I don't have access to Adams or any information they gained from his autopsy." He sighed and then stood. "And even if I did I do not believe I can make such a choice."

With a sad look on his face Long Rivers said, "I am sorry but this demand is unacceptable. It would appear our proposal is rejected."

"Just a moment," said Wanda as she jumped up and faced Long Rivers. "Are you willing to walk away over this?"

"Wanderer, I can't give them something I don't have," replied Long Rivers with frustration growing in his voice. "And I'm terrified of what will happen if this immunity becomes widespread among the remaining Human population."

"Just as the Humans are frightened by the prospect of insertion," said Wanda with half-smile. "Perhaps this is exactly what needs to happen. Both sides need to understand each other, appreciate the other's fears and desires." She turned back to Melanie and asked, "Is this condition inflexible?"

Melanie consider for a moment and then said, "I don't think they're going to just walk away from wanting the information, but I also know how big this would be for the Souls to give up. I suppose it's something we can discuss."

Long Rivers remained standing but the weariness in his entire body flowed quickly away. A thoughtful look appeared on his face as we looked between Wanda and Melanie. "Yes, we can try to negotiate." In a warm smile to Wanda he continued, "Thank you Wanderer, your perspectives are most helpful."

"What is the other requirement?" asked Bright Moon.

Melanie formed a wry smile and pointed at the Seeker. "Well, funny you should ask."

* * *

####

* * *

With an unpleasant unease building in the pit of her stomach Seeker Bright Moon on Fallen Snow stood before the rebels of Chicago. A little more than a month ago she had devoted all her time and resources to hunting down these very Humans. Humans she would have captured, inserted with Seekers, gained what information they possessed, and if she was ordered she would have disposed of these Humans.

Would she have been willing to carry out her orders if she had known how many existed? Originally she thought Marc's band of rebels had only number six or seven members. She had been shocked when she found out how many had hidden in the tunnels. She never would have believed so many could hide so effectively in the city. But she knew the answer, of course she would have. They were wild Humans, a dangerous enemy devoted to her people's destruction.

She determined them to be little more than savages, something to be erased without a thought. It was for the greater good. Her apprehension twisted to a feeling of disgust and regret in her body. How had she ever thought such actions were acceptable? How had any of her people gotten to this point? Destruction and death could never be part of the greater good.

All twenty-eight Human rebels stared back at her. Some glared at her with outright hostility, many others with guarded and wary expressions. Near the center of the assembled Humans sat Marc. His face cast in a carefully maintained neutral expression. But when their eyes met, his soft brown eyes were warm and friendly. This small sign of rapport eased her anxiety. Bright Moon wondered, not for the first time, how she and Marc, once bitter enemies, could come to care for each other so much.

The silence between Seeker and Humans stretched on until Marc cleared his throat loudly. He indicated the entire group and said, "Well, it seems were all at a bit of an impasse. We're all pretty much in agreement to stay and try to form a lasting peace." Here Marc paused and he pointed to her. "But very few of us are willing to trust you, Bright Moon. After everything that gone down between us and the Seekers it's hard enough to accept Seeker Night Ember Lights in this little alliance. While you…"

"Have hunted us, starved us, and tried to destroy us!" interrupted Jason bitterly. There were sounds of agreement from others in the crowd.

Marc shot Jason a harsh glared and sighed heavily. "I have pointed out that in the last month you've had a change of heart. You let us go at the hospital and didn't report us to the other Seekers. That gave us hours of lead time to make our exit from the tunnels. You reached out and brought the original peace proposal to us. And just last night you straight up lied to the other Seekers and let us get away."

"Even so," said Kate from the other side of the room, "that doesn't mean we can trust you. How do we know all this isn't an act? You are playing nice to get in good with us and the other Humans so you can then betray us?"

"That plan is too convoluted even for me," argued Marc. With smile towards her he added, "Besides Bright Moon has never been that good of a liar."

"Fine, she isn't lying," snapped Kate. She gave Marc a side long glance and smirked. "But I'm not sure your thinking straight here either, Marc. Your blood supply is going somewhere other than your brain." Marc glowered at the young woman but said nothing. Turning back to Bright Moon Kate bombarded her with questions, "Why then are you willing to help us? How can you prove you won't deceive us? What if you change your mind and decide to bring a pack of your Seeker friends on us!?" Angry muttered rose at Kate's questions.

Bright Moon felt herself recoil from Kate and the crowd's anger. A desire built up in her to run from the room, to escape the Humans' wrath. But then Dell cut off Kate's growing tirade with a deep rumble, "Easy Kate. Give her a chance to answer!" Kate and the crowd grew quickly quiet.

With a shaky sigh Bright Moon made herself stand up straight. It took her a moment to collect her thoughts. She wasn't sure what to say. What could she possibly say to a people who had their entire world taken? She sought and found Marc among his angry people. He gave her the smallest of smiles and suddenly she found the words.

"I'm sorry."

Bright Moon paused as she looked over the Humans and then continued. "I'm sorry I hunted you and hurt you. I'm sorry we Souls took your world. We were wrong. I know saying this doesn't mean much. It doesn't change anything, but for whatever its worth I am sorry."

"So you're sorry. Great," deadpanned Kate. "Why should we trust you?"

Looking down Bright Moon thought back to her previous lives on the Mist Worlds. To how she had found her calling as a Seeker, to painful memories she rarely thought about. "I…I…" she faltered at first but then found her voice. "I became a Seeker to protect my people. I know we seem powerful, but the reality is we Souls are weak. Most of us don't fight, can't fight. But a few of us choose to be strong to defend the others."

She gazed back at the Humans as she explained her calling. Some still looked skeptical but a few of them watched her with growing curiosity. "I hunted you because I thought you were going to harm my people. I was protecting them." Bright Moon looked to Marc and openly smiled at him. "Marc told me 'Leave us alone, we'll you alone' but I didn't believe him."

"When the plague came…you helped us. You saved us. You protected my people when all I had ever done was to try to hurt you." Bright Moon found her voice growing tight with emotion. She looked directly at Kate and said, "Kate, you saved many of us. You had no reason to yet you did." Kate dropped her scowl and looked down at the floor.

Bright Moon swallowed and took another trembling sigh. "Then last night, you stood against your own kind. You once again defended my people." She stared at Marc as she recalled his brutal fight with Adams and had to blink back tears. "You are strong in ways we never will be. But in other ways you are very weak." Her voice cracked as said, "There is so few of you and I am so sorry we're responsible."

Now everyone in the room was completely silent. They watched her intently as a few tears worked their way down her face. She didn't stop them from falling. She found her voice again and said softly, "I protect those who can't protect themselves. That is what I do. You have protected my people. I will protect yours."

Bright Moon stood quietly for a few moments and dried her eyes while a soft buzz of approval spread through the crowd. Marc smiled and nodded in approval. She marveled at the idea of Humans and Souls working together. A realization struck her and she said with conviction, "We will protect each other."

* * *

####

* * *

"Did we really bring all this stuff with us?" asked Nate as he checked over his overstuffed backpack. The backpack was bursting with clothing, maps, and variety of other items.

Burns looked from his neatly packed knapsack which was much smaller than his friend's. Holding up his pack to Nate he said, "No _we_ didn't bring all this stuff, _you_ brought all this stuff."

Nate looked at his best friend and shook his head. "You're really getting a sarcastic streak."

"Comes from hanging around you Humans too much," replied Burns with a faint grin.

Where he sat on the bed Night Ember Lights looked between the two men with a mild perplexed look on his face. He asked Burns, "You are friends? This is friendly teasing, yes?"

"Yes," agreed Burns two both questions as both Souls watched Nate attempt to repack his cluttered belongings. Burns turned to the young Seeker and said, "Human friendship is different from ours. It is not freely given or easy to keep and yet it has a way of pulling you in. It can be all consuming."

Nate let out a laugh, "Ah, Burns don't go all mushy on me." He turned to the Seeker and said plainly, "Kid, you're going to have to understand it's not going to be easy for you. Trust between Humans and Souls is hard enough. Accepting Seekers will be even harder."

Night Ember Light nodded slowly. "I understand. Trusting a Human is so strange. But I want to learn how."

Nate rubbed his chin as he contemplated the dark-skinned Soul. "Well, this is where you start. I'm trusting you to help get us safely out of city. We need to get back and warn our people about what's happened here."

Night Ember Lights took a deep breath and let it out in a long sigh. "Yes, you're right." He looked between Nate and Burns and continued, "But I promise both of you I will help and I will tell no one." A thin smile grew on the young man's face as he contemplated his new responsibility, "I will keep secrets from the other Seekers…How fascinating!"

Nate let out a deep laugh. "Night Ember Lights, that's the understatement of the year."

"Nigel," said the young Seeker. Nate and Burns gave him a puzzled look. "My friends," explained the Soul, "call me Nigel."

"Alright Nigel," said Nate with grin.

They looked up as Lacey and Ian entered the room. Lacey carried a small bag of her belongings. She ran a nervous hand through her dark hair as she glanced at the Seeker sitting on the bed. Ian just rested against the wall as he watched the others finish packing. Turning to Nate, Lacey said, "Well I've got all my stuff, I think its best we leave right after it gets dark." She glanced back to the Seeker and asked Nate, "You sure about trusting him?"

"It's a little bit of a leap of faith," admitted Nate. He gave a quick nod to Burns. "But Burns trust him so I will too."

Nigel bowed his head and said solemnly, "Lacey, I will help keep you safe. I promise." The young man paused and studied Lacey. "Seeker Gentle Waves is quiet upset with your deception. Will you be impersonating a Seeker..."

Cutting Nigel off Lacey shook her head violently and said, "Absolutely not! I'm not ever doing anything that crazy again."

Nate nodded with a laugh but then grew serious as he gazed over to Ian. "Are you sure about this, Ian?"

"If Wanda stays, I stay," said Ian without a second of hesitation.

"Well," said Nate as he extended his hand to Ian, "best of luck to you. I have a feeling you're going to need it."

* * *

####

* * *

"It really does look like a sunset on the Mist planet," said Melanie as she watched the sun begin to dip below the horizon. Beside her Wanda nodded with a weak smile as sunlight reflected off the tall gleaming glass and steel towers around the roof top of the hotel.

"You got all Wanda's memories?" asked Marc as he turned from the rosy colors in the sky.

"Yeah, but some of them are really hard to understand from a human perspective and nearly impossible to describe," answered Melanie. "But the Bears are pretty close to Humans so it's not too hard to relate the memories."

"Really?" replied Marc as he blinked in surprise. He turned to Bright Moon who stood next to him watching the multicolored spectacle and asked her, "So Bears aren't that different from Humans?" He paused in thought and said with a sly grin, "Did you look like Yogi Bear or Winnie the Pooh?"

Bright Moon turned and regarded Marc. With a half-smile she replied, "About eight feet tall, covered in white fur, four arms, and I could snap you in half without trying."

"Okay…" said Marc as he involuntarily took a step back.

Wanda turned from the sunset and let out a tired sigh. Her shoulders slumped and Melanie put a reassuring arm around her. "Hey, it's alright," said Melanie as Wanda's narrow shoulders began to shake and a few tears sprung from her silver-grey eyes.

"I'm going to miss everyone so much," said Wanda in trembling voice. "Explain to Jeb and the others why Ian and I stayed. There is so much I can help with. Long Rivers and the others will need me to help guide them."

"I will. I'll make sure everyone understands," declared Melanie as she wrapped her sister into a tight embrace.

A true sob broke from Wanda. "And tell…Jamie…I love him and Lily too, and…and…you'll need to help Sunny. She'll be…scared without…me."

"Hold on now," said Melanie as she pulled back and wiped away some of Wanda's tears with the end of her sleeve. "This is not forever. You will come back to us." Melanie leaned back and tapped Wanda gently on the nose as she spoke. "All you have to do is figure out to make a lasting peace between Humans and Souls. Get the rest of the Seekers worldwide to calm down. Oh, and figure out how to stop a diabolical group of humans bent on your destruction." Melanie grinned down at Wanda and added sardonically, "So no pressure or anything."

"Thanks Mel," sniffed Wanda with a tired smile as she dried her eyes. The two women again embraced tightly. Marc and Bright Moon watched the two silently. Human and Soul, two different species, and yet both sisters in all the ways that mattered.

When Melanie finally released Wanda this time she turned to Marc and Bright Moon. Melanie's hazel-brown eyes held both Marc's brown and Bright Moon's blue and silver eyes. She said meaningfully, "And the two of you will keep her safe."

"I will," replied Marc.

Bright Moon on Falling Snow gave Wanda a knowing smile. "Melanie, you have my word, I will protect Lives in the Stars."

"Oh," groaned Wanda. "Let me guess, you're from the second crystal city?" Bright Moon nodded solemnly while Melanie started shaking with laughter. Wanda just shook her head and said, "Com'on Mel, you need to get going. I want to see you and the others off."

Both women walked towards the roof's exit, Melanie's arm still around Wanda. As they walked Marc overheard Melanie say, "Well at least she didn't call you Rides the Beast, you have no idea how silly that name sounds in English." He heard another faint moan come Wanda as the two walked out of sight.

Frowning, Marc asked Bright Moon, "What was all that about?"

For a while Bright Moon was silent and then she said softly, "Wanderer is very famous on the Mist Planet. She…well it's probably best if she told the story. Sufficient to say, few individuals have survived encounters with a Claw-Beast." She had gotten a very faraway look in her eyes and Marc decided to change the subject.

Marc studied Bright Moon closely. "How are you doing? You've been through a lot in the last few days. I know you really took a bad blow to the head. Are you…I mean…the little you, alright?"

Bright Moon's hand went to her head and then to the back of her neck. Almost subconsciously she traced her insertion scar. Her face showed surprise at Marc's concerns not just for her human body but for her Soul self. She said softly, "I am alright."

They had closed the distance between themselves, now they stood near to each other. "And you?" asked Bright Moon in soft whisper. "You were so badly hurt…" She trailed off, her eyes full anguish.

Marc took his healed right hand and held her hand. His hand was warm and soft in hers. They drifted even closer. "I'm fine," he replied with a gentle smile. "Are you read for everything that coming? I mean…I trust you. But there is…so much," he stammered and then drifted off as the stood gazing at each other.

Their kiss, when it happened, took both Marc and Bright Moon by surprise. Each uncertain how the other would react, neither realized when the other leaned forward. But as their lips met the kiss deepened. Marc pulled her into a warm embrace and Bright Moon wrapped her arms around his neck, her hands tightening in his short spiky hair. For a moment everything else faded away, just the two of them holding each other.

By the time they pulled apart the sun had set in the west. The soft glow of the city replaced the rainbow hues of the sunset. Their light dimly reflected as faint twinkling in the silver of Bright Moon's eyes. Holding Marc close she whispered, "I think I shall manage."


	25. Epilogue

"This is completely unacceptable!" shouted Major Ashby.

Craig Williams didn't even flinch from the man's angry outburst, he remained seated and still as a stone. Ashby had paced back and forth in front of his desk as Williams was debriefed. From the moment the two guards brought Williams to the Ashby's office the Major had grown increasingly agitated as Craig reported on their mission to Chicago. Now the military man who ran the Facility stopped his pacing and jabbed an accusing finger at Williams.

"So let me get this straight," said Ashby in low growl. "Anderson was wounded by the Seekers, Kendrick captured and Gray killed by the human holdouts, and you have no idea what happened to Agents Adams or Taylor?"

"Yes," said Williams simply. It made sense to lie about who had really killed Gray. The man had been responsible for getting Samantha killed, as far as Williams was concerned killing Gray was completely justified. But if Ashby knew he had turned on his teammate he'd likely have the two guards standing in the back of the room shoot him without hesitation. With all deaths piling up from this mess it was easy to blame the Chicago rebels.

"And you did nothing to rescue your captured or lost teammates?" asked an outraged Ashby.

Williams replied with a curt snap. "Sir, Adams went completely off mission as soon as we got into the parasites' base of operation. By the time I could help anyone the building was inundated with Seekers. I was lucky to escape."

For a moment Williams felt Pale Light Gleaming rise in his mind. The parasite was still a distant whisper in his mind but the retelling of the events in Chicago caused it to grow active. It continued to despair over the loss of so many of its brethren.

' _I'm just starting,'_ thought Craig to the alien in the back of his head.

' _Don't hurt,'_ returned the slurred reply from Pale Light Gleaming even as Williams forced the parasite back down.

Ashby was paging through a report and hadn't noticed Williams's internal struggle. The man looked up with a sour expression on his face. "Our agents in the Seekers' organization have reported back that the parasites do indeed have Adams. And they have body of Agent Taylor."

Williams sat and stared blankly ahead. There wasn't much else he could say or do.

"Now all of our Agents are now in jeopardy. These worms have figured out we can pass as one of them. They'll start scrutinizing everyone in their organization, looking for other reclaimed humans." Ashby crossed back to his desk and sat down with a heavy sigh. "With Adams gone…our last hope is gone as well."

Sitting quietly Williams studied Ashby closely. His hair was thinning and the remaining hair was growing increasing grey. The stress of his position was taking a tremendous toll on the man. Ashby's skin was far more ashen than when Williams had last met with the man. With the failures of the bioengineered plague and now Adams he looked almost broken. Sooner or later the parasites would figure out the Facility's location and they would swarm. Then they all would be dead.

"I just I wish I knew," began Ashby with a sad shake of his head, "what Adams doing." His eyes flicked down to his desk and looked over his reports. Seemingly to hope he would find an answer to his question in the piles of paper. In a pensive whine Ashby began asking questions, "Why did he use Agent Taylor? She was too highly placed among the Seekers to risk. Why did he take any action against the rebels? Why didn't he just follow my orders?"

A new voice spoke up, "Because he was following my orders."

Both Williams and Ashby turned in surprise. Standing in the office doorway was a young man. Standing tall the man wore a thin smile on his face. It matched his thin body, skinny and pale. If Williams hadn't known this man he would have thought him sickly or malnourished. But Williams had met Ashby's assistant several times before and knew he was healthy enough to keep up with his boss's hectic demands.

Major Ashby's eyes narrowed, "Alex, what are you talking about?"

Alex made the smallest of shrugs and replied, "Adams. His orders, he was following mine not yours."

"What!?" cried Ashby as his face turned red. He rose out of his seat and pointed a finger shaking with rage at Alex. "This better be some type of stupid joke."

"It's not," replied Alex as he rolled his eyes. Williams, however, could see a certain wry humor in the man eyes. He was enjoying himself immensely. The few times Williams had ever interacted with Alex the young man seemed timid and unsure. He wondered what had changed.

Ashby's face turned even darker and in a low dangerous voice he addressed the two armed guards, "Take Mr. Winston into custody. Now."

But the two men didn't move. The remained standing impassively as Alex moved into the room. Williams now noticed there were many people in the hallway that had been behind Alex. Men and women making up much of the staff of the Facility crowded the hallway. Some of them stood nervously as they watched Ashby and Alex. But other stood with a triumphant glare as they watched Ashby face turn from red fury to shocked white.

"What is this?" demanded Ashby as he looked between Alex and the crowd in the corridor.

"Really?" asked Alex with a bitter smile. "You don't know a coup when you see one?"

Ashby's face broke into clear confusion. "Coup? Are you kidding me? Alex, this is a United States Military Facility and I am its Military Commander by special order of the President." Ashby looked to the crowd outside his door and practically spat, "No one is going to follow you."

Alex took a chair next to Williams. Ashby remained standing, glaring down at his former assistant. With a small motion of from Alex's hand the two security guards approached Ashby. The Major was very surprised when they wordlessly shoved him into his chair.

"Do you even hear yourself?" asked Alex disdainfully. "United States, Military, and Presidential Orders, none of these things even exist anymore. You have as much right to run this place as the janitor."

Williams watched with growing interest. This was most certainly not what he'd expected when he'd returned. Alex Winston had never been in the military, he was just a lucky civilian the soldiers came upon on a raid looking for food and supplies topside. He would never marked Alex as a man to lead a revolt against Ashby. Even after the end of the world it seemed the last of mankind still had power struggles.

Alex turned from watching Ashby and addressed Williams. "It's Agent Craig Williams, right?"

With a shrug Williams answered, "Yeah."

"So what was your mission? At least the mission you thought you were following?" asked Alex.

So the kid wanted to play solider, so be it, Williams was willing to play along. "Mission had multiple objectives." He began to count them off on his fingers, "One, bomb one or more targets of opportunity." Williams had a moment of hesitation on the second but forced himself to answer, "Two, investigate and capture if possible the remaining human population in Chicago. Finally, Adams was to test his immunity to insertion and capture the parasite leadership in Chicago."

Alex nodded as he listed out his orders, when Williams finished the young man turned back to Ashby with a disgusted look on his face. "So after years of research and planning our mighty blow to the invaders would be blowing up one of their spaceships and kidnapping some parasites. Pathetic."

Ashby shook his head and frowned. "It was a test. To see how well the immunity worked," defended Ashby. "If Adams had followed orders we would have a group of parasite leaders to interrogate and the worms would believe the humans in Chicago responsible for it all. If we could successful pull this off we could begin a larger insurgency."

"Please," said Alex with dismissive wave of his hand. "The mission was flawed from the beginning. What do we need to learn from the parasites' Quorum? Color coordinating the street signs or their plans for traffic management? No, there was nothing we needed to learn from them."

Through an angry locked jaw Ashby said, "Well, Alex, why don't you enlighten us?"

With a smile Alex jumped to his feet. "Sure, not a problem," said the apparently new leader of the Facility. He glanced to the clock on the wall and added, "But do you mind if we walk and talk? We have a meeting to get to and I hate keeping them waiting."

"Keep who waiting?" snapped Ashby.

Alex smile turned enigmatic. "Oh, you know who," said Alex and he pointed at the floor. "Down on the last level, the hidden level."

Alex's odd answer had the most profound effect on Major Ashby. The man went white and his mouth fell open. Williams could see it was more than just simple surprise or shock. The man was terrified by Alex's answer.

After a few long seconds Ashby closed his mouth and swallowed with difficulty. In a very small voice he said, "Alex, you didn't…"

"I did," replied Alex firmly. "I got past the security system and the locks." He turned to his other conspirators and announced, "I found out the Facility's deep dark secret."

"H…How long," stammered Ashby and then he began again. "How long have you been meeting with them?"

"The last two months," replied Alex. The guards pulled Ashby up and the man offered almost no resistance. The combination of Alex's revolt and mysterious revelation had left the man looking like he was in a daze. At the door Alex turned back to Williams and asked, "You coming?"

"Why not," responded Williams. He was growing intrigued by the young man's confidence and who they would be meeting. He followed Alex out and joined the group in the hallway. There were many faces he recognized and many more he didn't. At best guess there were nearly fifty people in this crowd, more than half the population of the Facility.

As they moved along Alex was speaking to a woman at his side. He offered her soft reassurances as she glanced fretfully around. "I'm sorry Susan," said Alex to the woman. Taking her hand in his he continued, "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you. But today everyone learns the whole truth."

Williams looked at the young lovers. He couldn't tell if he felt happy or sad for them, it was wonderful to find love and terrible to live with that love in a world where you would never be free and would be constantly hunted. He cleared his throat and said, "So what was Adams real mission? I think you owe me answer after what we went through."

"Your right," replied Alex with a bob of his head. "You all deserve answers." They passed the main elevators and Alex brought them to the entrance to the stairs. Alex pushed the door open and they began to descend the stairs. The entire group moved slowly down the stairway and it wasn't until they had cleared the second level that Alex began to speak.

"The problem can be basically summed up – Humanity just isn't a threat. Oh yes the parasites fear us, but their fear is largely abstract. At this point what remains of humanity is no longer a viable threat to the invasion." Alex paused on a step and turned to others who stopped behind him. "I mean, at this point it's no longer an invasion but colonization. We've got parasites having picnics in the park, shopping at the mall, and having babies to get implanted for the next wave of colonists."

Alex began walking again and his voice rose and echoed in the stairway as they traveled deeper underground. "So we bomb a spaceship or kill a few dozen Seekers. Yes the worms will respond to the threat but it's not enough for them to feel their occupation will fail." Alex let out a long frustrated sigh as the walked, "We had hoped the plague would do a good deal more damage and result in some real panic among the parasites, but that didn't happen."

They had cleared level four and made their way slowly into level five. Williams had never been down lower than level six. He didn't think there was even a level seven. Alex continued his speech, "So it came down to Adams, the first man to successfully survive implantation with his mind intact and in control. Now consider an army of people like Adams, all of them immune. Now that would be a threat unlike any in the parasites' history."

"So Adams has a chat with the parasites and convinces them he's the vanguard of new immune soldiers," questioned Williams.

"More or less," confirmed Alex. "It was important to prove to them his existence and the ability wasn't random chance."

"But Alex," said Susan, "the surgery for Adams was complex and will only work on a small section of the population. It's going to take a long time to build up an army." She let out a tired sigh, "Now the Seekers know we exist. They'll be hunting for us…"

"I know," said Alex with a smile. "I'm counting on it."

Williams looked the skinny young man over carefully and securitized Alex's face. The man's eyes were clear and confident, not a flicker of doubt in them. "So what the hell do you have up your sleeve to save us?"

"Allies," replied Alex with another enigmatic smile as they came to the end of the stairwell. At the bottom of the stairwell there was nothing but a grey cinder block wall. There was nothing Williams could see that would let them go lower. But Alex moved over to the wall and began to push against one the cement blocks. After a few seconds of pushing there was a loud clunk and the cinder block pushed back into the wall. A previous unseen crank was now visible

Alex's thin frame struggled as he pulled on the crank. Williams walked over and began helping the smaller man turn the wheel. With his added strength the crank moved quickly and a section of wall began to swing out into the open space of the staircase landing. A few people in the crowd pulled back as the doorway opened. Surprise and astonishment grew on their faces as they stared at the hidden door and passageway beyond.

After one more turn the crank locked tight and the Williams peered through the new opening. A dimly lit tunnel sloped down from the newly opened brick wall. Alex ducked his head as he step through. He turned and looked to the assembled body of the Facility. All stared wide-eyed at the young man. One of the men in crowd, he wore a white lab coat of a researcher, looked about and asked, "Alex what is this place?"

"I know most of you came from military," began Alex as he pointed to the crowd. "A lot of you came from Walter Reed but some from Fort Bragg and other sources. You're used to working in compartmentalized operations and not asking questions outside your tasks. But we've been down here for years laboring a way and I know more than a few of you have your doubts and questioned how the Facility was built." He pointed to the shadowy tunnel and said, "Down here you'll get your answers."

Turning Alex began to move down the tunnel and after a few moments hesitation the gathered Facility personnel followed him into the tunnel. Williams looked about as they walked into the tunnel. Unlike the smooth and polished stone walls of the Facility the tunnel was roughly cut into the rock. Williams guessed the tunnel was cut by hand tools, not machined tunnels of the upper levels. The tunnel was lit by lights coming for old electric bulbs. It reminded Williams of pictures of old mine shafts.

Their pace slowed as the floor grew more uneven and Williams stopped to help several people find their way in the dim tunnel. As he assisted the two guards holding Ashby pulled him along. The Major saw Williams and for a brief instant struggled against his captors. In a frightened hiss he whispered to Williams, "You have to stop Alex. He doesn't know what he's doing." But before Williams could respond Ashby's two guards yanked him along.

They finally came to the bottom of the old tunnel. Here the jagged cuts made by hand gave way to a naturally formed cave tunnel. The tunnel was no longer lit by the old lamps but much more modern flood lights. As they moved forward the tunnel opened up into a massive chamber. Williams guessed the space was at least as large as a football field in length. The natural cavern was roughly circular in shape and even with the better lighting its high ceiling was lost in darkness.

It was not the massive chamber which drew everyone's attention but what lay in the middle of the huge room. A large white dome sat in the exact center. Clearly artificial, it spanned nearly two-thirds the chamber. A series of lights around the perimeter of the dome lit up its creamy-white surface. Williams had the odd notion the dome looked like a half buried egg. He wondered if it cracked opened just what would come out.

Alex approached the dome as the members of the Facility finished filing in to the cavern. The assembled group all stared in confusion at the dome and Alex. Quiet muttering began among the crowd as Alex pressed his hand to the surface of the dome. He was speaking softly and Williams threaded his way through the group. Alex's voice rose as Williams approached. "We're here," said the young man, "We're finally ready."

Stepping away from the white wall Alex announced loudly, "Don't be frightened. They'll look a little scary, but trust me, they are our friends."

Looking back to the white dome Williams saw the white material was slowly turning transparent. He realized slowly the dome was some type of glass like material. Something that could change its tint as needed. As the dome continued to clear shapes began to form. Tables and an assortment of equipment could be seen. The lights around the dome began to dim automatically. It cast the deeper interior of the dome into shadows.

From the gloom a figure moved toward the clear dome walls. The form was tall and but moved with an odd jerking forward motion, as though their legs were too short to take a normal stride for a person of their height. As the individual moved slowly closer they appeared to have a hump on their back. The odd person's clothing or possibly skin was a dark grey color. Growing closer and more distinct the crowd's murmuring increased and then someone cried out, "What is it!?"

The person stopped on the other side of the transparent wall and now Williams could clearly see it was no man. It was certainly not human. The being was nearly seven feet tall with a very long body and short stubby legs. From knobby shoulders came two long arms that ended in hands with four thick appendages, something like large stumpy fingers. Its blunt nose and lipless mouth gave the creature's face an appearance vaguely like a man's. But the being's eyes were large and luminous, a strange mixture of yellow and red as it stared out at the crowd of humans. As Williams stared at the creature its upper body hunched forward he realized the hump on its back was actually enfolded wings which suddenly stretched and billowed out.

Everyone stood transfixed before the creature. Williams had never seen anything like it before. But in the back of his mind Pale Light Gleaming came alive. For the little parasite recognized this being, this alien creature, and it raved in utter terror.

' _It's a Vulture! It's a Vulture!'_ cried the parasite in Williams's mind.

Williams blinked. The creature didn't look much like a vulture. In fact if anything it looked like a stone gargoyle which had suddenly come to life and pulled itself from a gothic cathedral. The mind of Pale Light Gleaming was like a faint shadow in Williams's conscious. He tried to make sense of the parasite's panic but couldn't understand the worm's thoughts. It was some nameless primal fear which drove it to such hysterics.

Alex was speaking and Williams's forced himself to listen even as he pressed Pale Light Gleaming to go silent. "…our air is difficult for them to breathe," said Alex. "In the dome they have an environment much like their original home."

The Vulture spoke. Its mouth moved in a rhythmical pattern. The words couldn't be heard outside its dome but there was a hiss of an unseen speaker coming to life. In a flat mechanical and artificial voice the crowd heard the words, "I greet you." A translation by computer explained Alex.

The entire assembled group of humans was utterly stunned and speechless. Ashby's guards, just as astonished as the others, were not focused on their captive and the Major suddenly pulled himself away from their grip and ran up to Alex.

"You don't know what you're doing!" screamed Ashby to Alex. Ashby turned to the crowd and pointed a shaking finger at the alien. "You can't trust them! They came to us at the beginning of the invasion. Promising to help us." He drew himself up and looked scornfully at the tall creature behind the glass. "But in the end they didn't do a damn thing."

Ashby got no further as unexpectedly Alex struck him. The thin man's punch wasn't terribly strong, but it caught Ashby off guard. The Major hit the ground with a startled expression on his face. Alex towered over his former superior. In a voice full of deep seeded rage Alex growled, "No you don't understand! We wouldn't be here if wasn't for Paz's people. You're the one who tried to control them and seal them in here."

Alex continued to glare down at Ashby and then he motioned to the guards to take the man away. Major Ashby got off the ground slowly, still scowling but said nothing more. A few in the group watch him go, but the majority was still focused on the alien. The being, Alex had called it Paz, had watched the argument impassively. Its large yellow-red eyes sat unblinking as Ashby was led away. Now these strange eyes moved over the crowd.

Alex let out a shaky sigh and turned back the gathered humans. "You may call him Paz, his real name is longer and pretty hard to pronounce with our mouths."

Paz bowed his head, an oddly human gesture for the strange being. His mouth moved and the speaker hummed to life. "Mistakes were made, miscommunications at the beginning of our effort with your people. We never wanted the silver parasites to take your world." Paz looked up and continued to survey the crowd and he stopped when the luminous eyes focused on Williams. Again the alien spoke and the translated voice filled the chamber, "You…the one with the crippled silver worm in your head."

Williams realized he was now the center of attention to everyone, both human and alien. Pale Light Gleaming was still moaning in fright in his mind. With a sigh Williams replied, "Yeah, what do you want?"

"Does your worm know me? Know my race?" asked Paz.

Williams blinked in surprise. He realized to answer would be admitting the parasite was again aware in his mind. Before, Major Ashby would have him quarantined and the doctors would operate on him to submerge Pale Light Gleaming's conscious. But things had certainly changed and Williams decided to answer the question truthfully. "Yeah, it does…actually it calls you a Vulture. I don't know why."

The crowd had been softly murmuring between themselves but Williams answer caused a stir. Soon many were asking for details from Williams and Alex. Williams had no real answers to give beyond the name he'd taken from Pale Light Gleaming. Alex put up his hands and signaled for quiet. "Let me explain," he began to explain but the mob continued to talk. His voice rose louder, "Listen to me!" and the crowd's noise began to soften. Alex cleared his throat and continued, "A long time ago, very long by our standards, Paz's people were invaded by the parasites. The very same which invaded us. Their civilization was more advanced than ours. They had already traveled to other stars. It was from one of their colony worlds where the parasites first attacked. Just like us, Paz's people overwhelmed and controlled. Their bodies made slaves to the worms."

"Through Paz's people the parasites gained the technology to build more ships and expand into the galaxy. Only a very few of his people managed to escape. They had to run and hide for a long time. Too few of them left to mount a resistance." Alex paused and watched the effect on his gathered people. At first they looked on the alien with fear and distrust. But now they realized this strange being was a kindred spirit, a survivor of the same parasitical horde which had conquered Earth.

"We found you," said Paz's artificial voice. "You are strong. Your kind resists. Even after insertion some of your minds' endure."

"But what does this have to do with Adams's mission?" said someone in the crowd. Other joined in and asked what would happen when the Seekers inevitably came.

Alex waited patiently until the throng of questions died down before answering. He clasped his hands behind his back and spoke softly, almost reverently. "Kane Adams was a martyr. He knew he wouldn't be coming back. He needed to convince the parasites we had the ability to make ourselves invulnerable to them. That we had become a true and dangerous threat to their occupation of Earth." Now Alex unclasped his hand and gestured to crowd, to his people and said, "But his real mission was to get captured. Because we knew the parasites would take him apart to learn how we achieved our immunity. And through our little deception the parasites will think they understand."

Members of the crowd spoke up angrily. "But we only have one way! We can't take on an entire army of Seekers."

"No," said the alien. "Long have we studied the parasite's race. We have learned much on how they control their victims. We have found the way to block their control and restore the mind in your people."

Alex pointed to the transparent dome and Paz who stood watching the Human's stunned reaction. "Our new friend's cure works fast. No need for a long complicated surgery." He turned back to his people of the Facility, "Yes, the Seekers will come. They'll mass into a huge army to destroy us." Alex stopped and smiled triumphantly, "And then we'll make that army ours! And with it we're going to take our world back!"

Alex fell silent and for a few moments no one spoke. Then slowly and surely the crowd began to murmur and then talk. Soon the group became animated with excitement and astonishment at Alex's revelations. A seeming miracle delivered to humanity and they rejoiced. Alex pulled Susan to him and kissed her soundly as the crowd cheered them on.

Williams didn't cheer. Instead he stood watching the alien. Paz continued to silently watch the humans talk and plot among themselves. Alex's plan was risky thought Williams. The parasites would not stop until they found them. But a memory tugged at Williams. He remembered how Pale Light Gleaming and the other Souls had worked to destroy the Humans' weapons of war. The once vast supply of weapons reduced to just a handful. The Seekers would mass an army to make sure they destroyed the threat and of course the Seekers would use that limited stockpile of weapons. If Alex and Paz were successful they would have an army of freed humans. An army equipped with weapons and nothing to stop them.

Walking up to the glass dome Williams addressed Paz, the alien, the Vulture, whatever it was called. "If we pull this off, what do we do then?"

Paz's large yellow-red eyes moved to Williams and then the lipless mouth moved in slow reply. The voice was still the lifeless artificial translation, but somehow Williams could hear the creature's rage, loss, sorrow, and vengeance in the rendered words. "Then we kill the worms. Then we kill ALL the worms."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Coming soon(ish) - Upon Rising Storms (working title)
> 
> Earth has fallen to the alien Souls. What remains of Humanity is at a cross road. Do they attempt to make peace with the invaders and try to build a future or do they fight back and in the process become something terrifying. For Wanda and her friends the choice is clear, but the path to peace will be difficult and dangerous. For Alex and his allies the decision is easy but the results will be beyond their control. For Bright Moon and Marc it will mean growing closer as they both must fight for their lives. For the Soul Sunlight Passing through the Ice it will mean beginning a journey unlike any before. Because now the Souls' oldest enemy have returned and neither Souls nor Humans will ever be the same.
> 
> -Walker


End file.
